Counter-UAS Advisory
Build a defensible C-UAS capability by aligning authority, mission, funding, technology, and operations before procurement begins.
The Challenge
Funding Is Not Authority
The Counter-UAS environment is changing rapidly. Federal law and its implementing framework are creating new pathways for qualified state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement and correctional agencies to conduct defined detection, warning, and mitigation activities.
Those authorities are conditional. They involve training and certification, authorized technologies, airspace and spectrum coordination, privacy protections, oversight, reporting, and other compliance requirements.
At the same time, organizations are receiving funding and facing pressure to act. Without a clear understanding of the threat, mission, authority, and operating environment, that pressure can lead to premature procurement, fragmented systems, vendor-driven requirements, and capabilities that cannot be lawfully or sustainably used.
“Funding is not authorization. Technology is not capability. Both require a defensible operating framework.”
What This Work Is
Counter-UAS Capability Advisory is a structured service that helps organizations determine what capability is needed, what is permitted, and what must be established before major investments are made.
We begin with the organization’s threat environment, mission, authorities, stakeholders, existing systems, and funding conditions. In coordination with appropriate legal, regulatory, and operational stakeholders, we then help define the governance, requirements, procedures, and implementation pathway required for responsible use.
The objective is not simply to acquire detection or mitigation technology. It is to build a capability that can operate lawfully, effectively, and under scrutiny.
What This Work Includes
Depending on your organization’s needs, the work may include:
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Assessing the operating environment, identifying credible risks, and defining the missions and decisions a C-UAS capability must support.
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Clarifying applicable authorities, operating constraints, certification requirements, privacy considerations, spectrum requirements, and coordination obligations.
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Establishing executive ownership, roles, decision rights, oversight responsibilities, escalation pathways, and documentation requirements.
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Connecting available funding to mission priorities, sequencing investments, and defining a sustainable program rather than a collection of disconnected tools.
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Developing operationally grounded requirements, supporting RFI and RFP development, and evaluating vendors against mission, authority, integration, and sustainment needs.
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Connecting C-UAS capability with existing command structures, workflows, communications, information systems, training, exercises, and performance evaluation.
The PRIME Method
Our Approach
Most C-UAS efforts stall because capability arrives before clarity. The PRIME Method builds the necessary foundation before technology is introduced.
Position
Assess the threat environment, mission, current posture, authorities, existing systems, funding, stakeholders, and critical capability gaps.
Reframe
Define the problem the capability must solve, establish defensible use cases, distinguish detection from mitigation requirements, and align leadership around priorities and outcomes.
Integrate
Connect governance, legal requirements, privacy, spectrum, airspace coordination, decision authority, operations, communications, information, technology, and participating organizations.
Mobilize
Translate the capability design into requirements, procurement documentation, vendor evaluation criteria, concepts of operations, training, exercises, and an actionable implementation pathway.
Evolve
Measure performance, compliance, reliability, readiness, and mission value. Capture lessons, address gaps, and expand capability only when authority and evidence support it.
Who This Is Built For
Counter-UAS Capability Advisory is designed for organizations responsible for preparing for, coordinating, or supporting a defensible response to unauthorized or threatening UAS activity.
This includes:
State, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement and correctional agencies preparing for authorized C-UAS roles
Homeland security and emergency management organizations coordinating regional capability
Public safety organizations responsible for major events and mass gatherings
Critical infrastructure owners and operators working with authorized government partners
Multi-agency programs requiring shared governance and operational coordination
Jurisdictions receiving C-UAS funding that need a defensible implementation pathway
Leaders evaluating major investments before engaging vendors
Engagement Pathway and Investment
Each tier builds on the last, allowing organizations to move from immediate clarity to sustainable operational capability. Final scope and investment are determined by the organization’s authority, threat environment, program complexity, stakeholder requirements, and level of implementation support needed.
Tier 1: C-UAS Readiness Sprint
Assess the organization’s threat environment, mission, authority, current posture, funding, stakeholders, and immediate risks. Identify critical gaps, priority decisions, and a focused path forward.
Investment: $15,000–$30,000
Tier 2: Governance & Deployment Design
Define the governance structure, decision rights, operational requirements, compliance considerations, coordination mechanisms, procurement criteria, and deployment pathway.
Investment: $75,000–$200,000+
Tier 3: Pilot Implementation & Operational Enablement
Support procurement, vendor evaluation, concepts of operations, stakeholder coordination, system integration, training, exercises, and carefully scoped implementation.
Investment: Scoped according to authority, use case, program scale, and complexity
Tier 4: Ongoing Advisory
Provide continued guidance as the organization addresses emerging requirements, evaluates performance, strengthens governance, and expands capability.
Investment: Starting at $10,000 per month
Why Digital Prime Strategies
The National Capital Region Standard
Digital Prime Strategies brings experience supporting the development and integration of Counter-UAS capability within the Washington, DC Flight Restricted Zone, an operating environment defined by exceptional legal, security, airspace, and interagency requirements.
Our founder’s experience includes:
Supporting the development and integration of C-UAS capabilities within the Washington, DC Flight Restricted Zone
Working within federal authority and complex legal and operational constraints
Evaluating the evolving C-UAS vendor and technology landscape
Coordinating across military, federal, state, and local partners
Supporting grant funding and procurement efforts
Advancing capability under demanding timelines and high public scrutiny
That experience shapes how Digital Prime approaches Counter-UAS programs. Detection, mitigation, authority, information, coordination, technology, and human judgment must function as one governed system.
We do not approach C-UAS as a tool deployment. We approach it as a mission capability that must be structured, governed, integrated, and sustained.
What Changes
When this work is done well:
Leaders understand what their organization is authorized and prepared to do
Detection, warning, and mitigation requirements are clearly distinguished
Funding decisions remain connected to mission and operational needs
Governance and accountability are established before procurement
Privacy, spectrum, airspace, compliance, and reporting requirements are addressed
Vendor evaluations follow defensible requirements
Capabilities integrate with existing operations and decision structures
Performance and expansion decisions are based on evidence
The result is not simply a collection of sensors or systems. It is a defensible capability designed to function under real-world conditions.
Move From Pressure to Defensible Capability
If your organization has received funding, is evaluating C-UAS technology, or is preparing for a new operational role, begin by clarifying the mission, authority, and requirements.
Let’s establish what your organization needs, what it can responsibly implement, and what must happen next.