OKLAHOMA CITY – In a collaborative effort to bolster defense efforts against aerial threats, Oklahoma National Guard leaders gathered with state, education and industry partners to discuss Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) at the Tulsa Tech campus in Jenks, Oklahoma, Nov. 7, 2024.

The gathering brought together representatives from defense organizations, several regional universities, tribal leaders and technology firms specializing in drone technology, to improve interoperability and standardization in the UAS and Counter UAS domain.

“The organizations participating in the Launched Effects Alliance meetings are learning from each other in leaps and bounds,” said Col. Shane Riley, director of the Oklahoma National Guard’s Launched Effects Program. “The Oklahoma National Guard is connected to the broader environment of innovation like never before. I think it is really a model for successful integration that gives Oklahoma dynamic opportunities.”

The meeting was part of an ongoing effort to bring together leaders in the diverse space of unmanned aerial systems, resulting in a new group of experts dubbed the Launched Effects Alliance.

“This is really an unofficial agreement for a broad group of hyper-capable organizations to work together to solve big problems,” Riley said. “In these meetings I’m surrounded by PhD industry leaders, state employees and defense activity decision makers that want to move fast and solve problems.”

Meetings like these are an integral part of the OKNG’s ongoing modernization effort in order to prepare its Soldiers and Airmen for the battlegrounds of the future.

“We are focusing on the fundamental skills that Soldiers, Airmen and Leaders will need for the next fight,” Riley said. “Drones and robotic systems will have an immense impact on future warfare. Our young leaders must begin learning now to win in the future.”