The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is partnering with Defense Research and Development Canada to launch an experiment involving autonomous drones and ground vehicles along the US-Canada border. Scheduled for November, this initiative, known as ACE-CASPER, aims to test the capabilities of these technologies in streaming surveillance video and sensor data across the border using commercial 5G networks.
This multiday exercise will simulate a national emergency response scenario. Drones and vehicles will relay live feeds to a bi-national command center as they cross the border, focusing on reliable and persistent 5G communications, while vehicle autonomy is a secondary concern.
This experiment marks the first joint cross-border technology initiative between the two nations in nearly a decade. Previous drills under the CAUSE program from 2011 to 2017 assessed the ability of emergency responders on either side to share radios, video, and data.
DHS describes the capabilities to be demonstrated in martial terms, soliciting vendors to showcase the ability of autonomous vehicles to gather “real-time battlefield intelligence.” The sought aerial systems are categorized as Command and Control: Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (C2ISR) platforms, a term linked to improving military operations.
Following a restructuring under an executive order by President Donald Trump in 2025, the DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) became the technical hub of the federal government’s domestic counter-drone program. Recently, S&T introduced a counter-drone purchasing tool to assist law enforcement agencies.
The executive order also prioritized the procurement of US-made drones and restricted government contract opportunities to domestic manufacturers. This move significantly benefits the US drone market, especially for companies like Powerus Corporation, which is backed by Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., and is responding to the DHS’s call for participation. Other companies in the mix include Anduril Industries and Xtend, both linked to the Trump family.
This upcoming exercise represents a strategic shift in border surveillance technology and aims to enhance American border security through advanced autonomous systems.
