{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cramer.senate.gov/news/press-releases/department-of-war-hosts-technology-readiness-experimentation-event-showcases-north-dakota-c-uas-ecosystem", "Department of War Hosts Technology Readiness Experimentation Event, Showcases North Dakota C-UAS Ecosystem", "2026-08-27", "2026", "2026-08", "Republican", "Senate", "ND", "Kevin Cramer", "C001096", "www.cramer.senate.gov", "cramer", "https://www.cramer.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "***Click herefor media resources.***\n\nEMERADO, N.D. \u2013 The skies above North Dakota were filled today with cutting-edge vehicles being pushed to their limits and beyond in a series of tests and simulations hosted by the U.S. Department of War (DOW). This Technology Readiness Experimentation (T-REX) event was hosted simultaneously at the GrandSKY unmanned aerial system (UAS) tech park near Grand Forks and the North Dakota Army National Guard\u2019s Camp Grafton close to Devils Lake. It brought together government and industry officials and gave policymakers an opportunity to take the pulse of the industry and plan for the next evolution in drone warfare.\n\nU.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), chair of the Senate Armed Services (SASC) Airland Subcommittee, joined the event as part of his efforts to build an unmanned aerial fleet to adapt to the changing tactics and technologies adversaries are deploying on battlefields around the globe. Whether rapidly testing and evaluating counter unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) technology or defining innovative capabilities, Cramer says the DOW is noticing how North Dakota is driving one of the nation\u2019s fastest growing industries.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re living in an interesting time, to say the least,\u201d said Cramer. \u201cNecessity is the mother of invention, and that\u2019s truer today in the defense world than it\u2019s ever been. We\u2019ve got more to learn than we do to share, in some respects, particularly in Europe. What we\u2019re here to do is see beyond those things, to identify beyond those things, to incentivize properly beyond the RQ-4 and some of the other traditional systems and legacy systems, to keep up with the asymmetric but very lethal threat of UAS and provide the counter to that. Those are still real threats that we need to defend against. Thanks to the partnership between the Department of War and our state, today\u2019s event is a unique opportunity for industry partners to work side by side with the Department to accelerate the development of advanced capabilities.\u201d\n\nThe event underscores North Dakota\u2019s central role in DOW\u2019s push to modernize through hands-on experimentation and closer industry collaboration. Participating companies demonstrated platforms and prototypes across multiple simulated mission sets, allowing the DOW evaluators to assess performance, scalability, and operational impact. T-REX events are designed as a fast-track proving ground, giving companies direct access to operators, realistic mission scenarios, and rapid feedback from acquisition officials.\n\nNorth Dakota has been a leader in next-generation UAS development. The 319th Reconnaissance Wing at Grand Forks Air Force Base (GFAFB) leads the new Point Defense Battle Lab, an initiative designed to safeguard military installations, protect critical assets, and ensure uninterrupted air operations. The lab is central to testing and developing advanced technologies to counter UAS threats.", 1, "2026-08-28T17:11:49Z", "2026-08-28T17:13:14Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.cramer.senate.gov/news/press-releases/department-of-war-hosts-technology-readiness-experimentation-event-showcases-north-dakota-c-uas-ecosystem"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7079350762069225, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}