Grand Forks Air Force Base opens Point Defense Battle Lab permanent facility

On 2026-04-09, the U.S. Air Force Air Combat Command opened the Point Defense Battle Lab's permanent facility at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota. The base's former North Spark Defense Lab was designated as the permanent facility, with a ribbon-cutting attended by Sen. John Hoeven, Sen. Kevin Cramer, and Kansas National Guard members. The event formalized the lab's permanent base location and support structure for countering small unmanned aircraft systems.