A massive American flag stretches wide across the factory wall of Vector Defense Inc. in Bluffdale.

But “Old Glory” is not merely for decoration here.

Instead, the flag is “a reminder of what we’re doing, what we’re serving, and who we’re standing up to serve,” Vector CEO and founder Andy Yakulis told the Deseret News.

“It helps us rally around the concept that the American war fighter needs the most up-to-date technology. And right now, that’s unmanned systems drones. … We’re all very focused on achieving that mission — making sure we’re streamlining the best-in-class technology to the American war fighter.”

The minute-to-minute headlines from combat hot spots such as Ukraine and the Persian Gulf echo an emerging combat reality: Drones are changing the very character of war.

And militarized unmanned aircraft systems are presenting a battlefield paradox. Today’s drones are relatively cheap — but they are also increasingly deadly. Drones are reportedly responsible for 75% of Ukraine war casualties.

As Forbes reported, drones are not merely a new weapon — they are a new era of warfare. “The closest historical analogy may be the tank, introduced during World War I, which broke the murderous stalemate of trench warfare.”

Gov. Cox: Utah’s drone industry can protect service members — and strengthen state’s economy

Now Vector Defense Inc. — and by extension, the Beehive State — are increasingly positioned as key players in accelerating the country’s military-grade drone ecosystem.

On his LinkedIn page, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox recently announced in a video that Utah is “answering the call to build America’s drone industrial base” — while furthering American drone dominance.

The state’s growing drone industry, he noted, “strengthens our economy and supports those who defend our nation.”

National security, said Cox, depends on building critical technology quickly, reliably and at scale — and in a regulatory friendly environment.

Utah’s drone industrial base, he added, prioritizes domestic manufacturing, vertical integration, and rapid delivery to those charged with protecting the country.

“We move fast, cut through red tape, and we support companies that are willing to build here at home,” said Cox. “Government and industry will lead the way — manufacturing in Utah, integrating in Utah, and delivering real capability with speed and discipline.

“That’s how we protect our service members. That’s how we strengthen our economy.”

What’s ‘warfare as a service’?

Protecting America’s men and women in uniform while maximizing their drone capability serve as dual missions for Yakulis and his Vector team.

A West Point grad, Yakulis spent almost two decades in the U.S. Army — including significant duty serving in Special Operations.

The former Army helicopter pilot remembers utilizing military drones such as the Reaper that searches for targets and can be used to shoot missiles similar to an airplane.

“But the drones that are being used now are being used like munitions — a one-way attack,” he said. “People sometimes call them like suicide drones. That was nowhere on our radar when I was in uniform.”

Near the end of his Army tenure, Yakulis recognized a market gap as unmanned drone systems were being used in massive quantities in Ukraine as part of the nation’s ongoing war with Russia.

Simultaneously, the drone tech across Ukraine’s front lines was iterating at lightning speeds.

“And so we saw these two things change which created this revolution of military affairs. More tech being used. More drones being used. And faster iteration on the design of the drones.”

During his Army officer career, Yakulis became well acquainted with the U.S. defense procurement system. It can take several years, he said, to get a piece of technology from R&D to actually be utilized by warfighters in combat.

Given the speedy “tech refresh” pace in Ukraine, America’s legacy procurement system presents “a massive imbalance,” he added.

By launching Vector in 2024, Yakulis set out to create a new model of providing expendable — aka “attritable” — drones to the American military.

But the company does more than simply sell a piece of drone tech hardware. That’s only one component.

“We came up with this idea that I call ‘modern warfare as a service.’”

Vector sells to the military a “service-based contract” that involves training, product and capability development — and the large-scale delivery of unmanned systems.

“But because the military isn’t buying the drone, we don’t have to go through the legacy seven- to 10-year procurement model,” explained Yakulis.

“We can sell you a service today — and underneath that service provide you the best drone that exists on the market today. And then tomorrow, I can provide you with an updated drone underneath that same service contract.”

And while Vector may be headquartered in the southwest end of Salt Lake County, it functions as a global enterprise.

The company has a team stationed in Ukraine, and another in Israel. There, they observe how drone systems are being used — and then bring those insights back to Utah to update their drone training and the designs.

“We have to make a concerted effort to stay up-to-date with how warfare is constantly changing,” said Yakulis.

“That’s why it’s so important for us to have a footprint in war zones — and that’s why it’s so important to have our leadership and a lot of our engineers cycle through those war zones to make sure they understand how technology has evolved.”

What makes Utah the ideal home for drone development?

After separating from active duty military, Yakulis and his associates started the venture-backed Vector. They were eager to begin implementing their fast evolving mission and business model.

But first, Vector needed a home.

Given its density of industry talent, California’s Silicon Valley works “decently well” for software companies, said Yakulis. But it’s hard to build a manufacturing company in the Golden State.

“There’s so many regulatory restrictions on manufacturing in California, and space is just at a premium,” he said. “It’s very, very expensive to do a very large facility like we have here in Bluffdale.”

And there were also Vector’s employees to consider. The Bay Area’s cost of living rate is famously prohibitive.

But business-friendly Utah checked all the boxes, said Yakulis.

“There’s a very supportive culture here in Silicon Slopes,” he added. “And there’s a lot of value-driven, mission-driven individuals that want to work on something that matters.

“Utah’s been very welcoming to us.”

Vector quickly became part of the 47G family — a Utah aerospace and defense industry “ecosystem” of over 200 members and a variety of local academic institutions.

“And the governor,” added Yakulis, “has been incredible to us.”

Beyond its business advantages, Utah is an ideal spot for drone testing and training. “Some of my colleagues or competitors in California have to travel two or two-and-a-half hours just to fly a drone,” said Yakulis.

“We walk right out to the back of our warehouse to fly a drone.”

Meanwhile, Utah military installations such as Camp Williams and those in nearby Dugway allow Vector a venue for long-range or explosives drone testing and training.

“Just having high-density military here — which is our primary customer — and access to training areas has been phenomenal for us,” Yakulis added.

Vector employs almost 100 people, with most working in Utah.

Equipping U.S. warfighters with drone tools and know-how

Integration is a defining term at Vector.

The Ukrainians, explained Yakulis, have proven adroit at integrating with their soldiers on the front line in eastern Ukraine. Obviously, Vector can’t replicate that level of combat fusion.

“So the way that we replicate how fast we are able to iterate for the American military is we do a lot of drone training for them,” he said. “This is how we got our start — as a drone training company.”

Such schooling goes beyond simply teaching a soldier how to fly a drone from Point A to Point B. Soldiers need to know how to optimize this new weapon. So drone tactics and doctrine are being perpetually examined and reinvented.

“The technology is only as good as the tactical application of it — and you will only get the maximum effectiveness out of the tactics if you know how to use your technology,” said Yakulis.

Vector employs “a very, very interesting cohort of individuals” who are experienced tacticians that also understand technology and proper training methods.

Such a training force, said Yakulis, blends prior military personnel who are high-end tactical experts working alongside drone specialists.

Vector’s training seeks to teach American war fighters how to best utilize advanced unmanned systems. “But we’re also learning from our end user to make sure that we are building exactly what they want for the American military,” said Yakulis.

And while it’s essential to understand what, say, the Ukrainian military is doing with drones in the fight against Russia, Vector can’t simply cut-and-paste such data to the American military, he added.

“You have to embed; you have to integrate with the American military with that technology to figure out, ‘How are they going to use it?’ ‘What new feature do they want on that drone?’

“And then, back here in our Bluffdale facility, we build that new feature and provide (American war fighters) on a subsequent version of that service contract.”

Next step: Improving cost-efficient counter-drone tech

Global affairs obviously aren’t pausing for Vector or any others from the nation’s drone industry to develop the latest tech and training.

Even while speaking with the Deseret News, Yakulis was monitoring the day’s events from Operation Epic Fury — the ongoing American war with Iran.

And as with the Ukraine conflict, the U.S. and its allies are dealing with the challenges and tactical opportunities of drone weaponry.

Prior to the current ceasefire in the region, Iran launched “a massive amount of unmanned systems” to attack regional neighbors. Attritable drones are having an exponential impact on the vast Middle East battlefield — and American military leaders have prioritized attacks on Iranian drone platforms.

“I’ve been talking to the company a lot about our country being at war,” said Yakulis. “We need to be on a wartime footing too — and be thinking about how fast we’re building and how fast we’re iterating.”

Developing better and cheaper tech on the counter-drone side are now key priorities for Vector and the rest of the nation’s military/defense industry.

“It’s very hard to defeat what we call ‘attritable drone mass.’ … You can take one drone down, but can you take down 100 or 1,000, especially when decoys come in the mix?

“And can you do that at a price point that makes sense?”

“Unit economics” has become a critical warfare talking point when, say, a $2 million American Patriot missile is being used to shoot down an Iranian Shahed drone made for $35,000.

“The economics just don’t work out,” said Yakulis. “We just don’t have enough Patriot missiles — and/or we will just spend too much money trying to procure too many missiles.

“So we need to do a better job to provide a cost-equal interceptor per drone.”

At a time when affordability has been top of mind for residents across the country, a new report shines light on just how rapidly costs have risen for those living in Washington state. In fact, the report finds that, from 2013-2023, prices rose faster in the Evergreen State than in any other.

For certain metropolitan regions — around Spokane and Tri-Cities, for example — costs of living rose particularly sharply. The cost of living for a dual-income family with one child rose about 30 percent from 2021-2025 in those areas, per the report.

“As somebody who lives in the Northwest, and particularly in the Seattle area, cost of living is very expensive,” says Morgan Shook, senior policy adviser at public policy research firm ECOnorthwest, who was not associated with the report. “The cost of goods and services have been just appreciably more expensive … gas is really expensive, as well as a range of retail and personal services. Whether you’re going out for lunch, dinner or even just groceries.”

One of the biggest drivers of the rising cost of living in Washington, and the Seattle area in particular, is housing. To some extent, housing, wages and prices all rise together — when cost of living is high, workers need to earn more to live there, so companies often pay higher wages; then, to make up for the higher labor cost, companies raise their prices.

But housing costs in areas like Seattle have been outpacing wage growth.

From 2010 to 2019, the median home value in Seattle rose 80 percent, while the median income in the county that encompasses Seattle only rose 55 percent. In addition, from 2014-2019, rent increases in most parts of the city outpaced income growth, with rents in the most affordable areas rising fastest.

How and why did everything get so expensive?

Many People, Few Homes

For a while, home price fluctuations in Seattle had mirrored national trends. In Seattle and nationally, average home prices rose between January 2000 and 2007, when they peaked. By January 2007, the average home price in Seattle had grown 82 percent over what it was in January 2000, compared to 71 percent across the U.S. Prices then tumbled everywhere for several years.

After the mid-2010s, however, Seattle began outpacing much of the country.

By August 2020, the average Seattle home price was 157 percent higher, compared to 103 percent across the U.S. That disparity extends to the state overall: In Washington state, home prices in 2020 were up 154 percent compared to January 2000.

Today, housing availability is a statewide problem and a huge driver of cost of living.

“Washington’s growing population exceeded 8.1 million people in 2025, and this growth has put a strain on the state’s existing housing supply and affordability,” Gov. Bob Ferguson said in an executive order in December 2025.

More than half of Washington renters spend over a third of their annual gross income in housing costs, and a quarter pay more than half. The Washington Center for Housing Studies, meanwhile, found that 80 percent of households were priced out of homeownership in 2025.

A 2023 report found the state needs to add 1.1 million homes by 2044 to meet projected needs. More than half of that housing must be affordable to people earning less than half of area median income. That means adding 55,000 homes per year.

High-paying jobs in life sciences, global health and technology have drawn people from around the world to come live and work in Seattle. A 2021 city of Seattle report found that in 2005, the city had a ratio of about 1.8 jobs per housing unit. But the city couldn’t produce enough housing to maintain this balance. From 2005-2019, the city gained about two net new jobs for every one new unit of housing, and from 2011-2019, added about 2.6 net new jobs per one unit of new housing. Overall, the city added 169,461 jobs from 2005-2019, but only 84,185 new units of housing.

Other cities with strong job growth like Austin, Dallas and Las Vegas have been able to build housing to accommodate new arrivals, resulting in home and rent prices stabilizing, says Barbara Denham, lead U.S. economist at economics advisory firm Oxford Economics.

“There’s so many parts of the country, like Arizona, Texas, Nevada, where they just have huge, open, very dry and boring swaths of land that developers can come in and just build, build, build … it keeps the price of housing down,” Denham says.

One factor challenging Washington may be how the state has balanced various goals when planning for growth. State policy stemming from the 1990s directed fast-growing counties and cities to plan for where this growth should occur, while following certain principles. Those include reducing sprawl and encouraging development in urban areas, as well as protecting air and water quality and preserving open space. The law drew boundary lines around metropolitan areas and discouraged building outside of them, to protect farm and forest land.

This leads cities to focus on in-fill development, with developers constructing in gaps between existing buildings or on lots that already have other structures. That’s the most difficult kind of development, Shook says. Rising labor costs, limited locally available construction workers and shortages of building materials driven by high demand also sent Seattle construction costs rising 40 percent from 2009 to 2021, per the city.

Insufficient stock drives up prices, and those unable to afford homebuying become a captive market for landlords, who can raise rents, Denham says. (From 2000-2020, Seattle only saw rents stabilize or decline when housing vacancy rates hit at least 6 percent, per the city report). As rents rise, people are less able to save up for a house, feeding the cycle.

Lower-income renter households in King County often resort to overcrowding, squeezing people into units with too-few bedrooms because it’s what they can afford, Shook says. Others may not find somewhere to live at all: The city reports that, in 2021, about 34,000 people earning less than $40,000 from jobs in Seattle lived more than 25 miles outside the city and commuted in; someone earning at this level could only afford a studio in “one of the lowest cost areas of the city.”

Washington’s population, and thus housing need, continues to rise — the census lists it as tied with several other states for the sixth fastest-growing between 2024-2025. But decline in net international migration is slowing the rate of population growth across the U.S., and Washington is feeling that, too. The number of net new arrivals in 2025 was the lowest the state had seen since 2013 (with the exception of 2021, during the pandemic).

In Seattle specifically, new college grads are expected to keep arriving as job growth continues, Denham says. But much of the area’s population increase comes from international immigration. A combination of domestic and international migration raised Seattle’s population by 49,000 in 2024, but by just 19,000 in 2025 and is expected to only add 9,600 people in 2026, she says.

Other Factors

Beyond housing, some other costs are unusually high, too. Gas at the pump is the second most expensive in the U.S., per a report. Transportation is a big factor — oil has to be brought in over mountainous terrain and delivered to spread-out population centers, says James McCafferty, director of the Center for Economic & Business Research at Western Washington University. Only a small portion of Washington’s oil comes via pipeline, the cheapest transportation method — with the rest delivered more expensively via ship and rail.

“North Dakota can send their oil south into the U.S through a pipeline for far less expense than it is to ship it by train to northwest Washington to be refined,” McCafferty says. High labor costs make it more expensive to refine the oil in the state, too, he adds.

Tackling Housing

A flurry of state laws seeks to ramp up housing supply. Just in the past year and a half, the state has lowered parking requirements for homes to reduce construction costs, capped some rent increases and sought to streamline permitting.

Washington also has been funneling more money into its Housing Trust Fund, which helps low- and very-low-income people get housing, by funding rent and home down payment subsidies, housing construction and other projects. The fund spent nearly $729 million in the 2021-2023 budget cycle, up from roughly $242 million in the previous cycle and $112 million the budget before that.

But the biggest change is in the works. The state plans to revamp its approach by creating a cabinet-level Department of Housing, which would bring the state’s various housing-related efforts into a single department. The move is intended to provide more transparency and coordination, including reducing administrative hurdles.

A task force is preparing recommendations for how to do this, which lawmakers will consider during the 2027 session.

The annual Wyoming-Montana All-Star basketball series celebrates its 50th anniversary this summer. The State of Wyoming released its rosters for the 2026 event, which is on Friday, June 12, at the Pronghorn Center in Gillette. The series will move to Lockwood High School in Billings, MT, on Saturday, June 13. The girls’ games will start at 5 p.m., followed by the boys’ games at 7 p.m. both nights.

WYOMING ALL-STAR BASKETBALL PLAYERS 2026

This year is the 50th for the boys’ series and the 29th for the annual girls’ series. They did not play in 2020. The Wyoming girls broke a 16-game losing streak against Montana in 2025 after an 81-75 victory in Billings. Montana holds a 42-14 advantage in the series. In the boys’ series, Montana swept the Wyoming boys last summer, 102-90 and 98-73. They lead the all-time series, 69-29.

The Wyoming girls’ squad is highlighted by all-state award winners and five college commitments. The boys’ roster features players who earned multiple all-state honors, and four players have already committed to playing basketball at the collegiate level.

As the 50th anniversary approaches, organizers are preparing a series of commemorative events to celebrate the legacy of this historic rivalry and showcase the incredible talent of Wyoming’s young basketball stars.

Read More Boys Basketball News from WyoPreps

Wyoming-Montana All-Star Basketball Series Girls Recap 2025

Wyoming-Montana All-Star Basketball Series Boys Recap 2025

Wyoming-Montana All-Star Basketball Preview 2025

Wyoming Rosters for Wyoming-Montana All-Star BB Series 2025

WYOMING-MONTANA GIRLS BASKETBALL ALL-STAR GAMES 2024

WYOMING GIRLS ALL-STAR BASKETBALL GAME INTERVIEWS 2024

WYOMING-MONTANA BOYS BASKETBALL ALL-STAR GAMES 2024

WYOMING BOYS ALL-STAR BASKETBALL GAME INTERVIEWS 2024

WYOMING-MONTANA ALL-STAR BASKETBALL PREVIEW 2024

3A-4A Wyoming HS Girls Basketball All-State 2026

3A-4A Wyoming HS Boys Basketball All-State 2026

1A-2A Wyoming HS Boys Basketball All-State 2026

3A-4A Wyoming HS Boys Basketball All-Conference 2026

1A-2A Wyoming HS Boys Basketball All-Conference 2026

3A-4A Wyoming HS Girls Basketball All-Conference Players in 2026

1A-2A Wyoming HS Girls Basketball All-Conference Players in 2026

WyoPreps 3A-4A Girls State Basketball Scoreboard 2026

WyoPreps 1A-2A Girls State Basketball Scoreboard 2026

WyoPreps 3A-4A State Basketball Scoreboard 2026

WyoPreps 1A-2A State Basketball Scoreboard 2026

The 2026 rosters feature 10 girls and 10 boys

Wyoming Girls Roster:

Elizabeth Needham – Cheyenne Central (signed with LCCC for basketball)

Cashlynn Haws – Cheyenne East (will serve a mission in the Philippines)

Sydney Simone – Cody (signed with Carroll College for volleyball)

Erica Wilson – Pinedale (signed with Northwest College for basketball)

Camryn Wagner – Sheridan (attending Univ. of Utah)

Jaylin Mills – Sundance (signed with Northwest College – basketball & volleyball)

Ashtyn Ketchum – Thunder Basin (attending UW)

Reece McGrath – Thunder Basin (attending UW)

Addy Rouse – Thunder Basin (attending Nova Southeastern Univ.)

Chaney Reish – Tongue River (signed with Northwest College – basketball & volleyball)

Wyoming Boys Roster:

Jack Andela – Campbell County (signed at Carroll College for basketball)

Collin Roberts – Douglas (signed with Northwest College for basketball)

Carter Alvar – Kelly Walsh

Mason Eager – Kelly Walsh

Owen Walker – Lovell (serving a mission)

Gavin Patik – Natrona County

Nate Miner – Sheridan (signed with Rocky Mountain College)

Cooper Lancaster – Star Valley

Cody Bomengen – Thermopolis (signed at Gillette College)

Trypp Burtsfield – Thunder Basin

Six of the eight state championship teams during the 2026 high school season are represented on the girls’ and boys’ teams. On the girls’ roster, 4A champ Cheyenne East, 3A champ Cody, and 2A champ Sundance have players involved. For the boys, it’s 4A champ Sheridan, 3A winner Lovell, and 2A champ Thermopolis.

Nine of the 10 Wyoming girls selected earned all-state awards during the 2026 high school season, and four of them will be playing collegiate basketball this fall. One will be playing volleyball. Eight of the ten Wyoming boys chosen also received all-state honors earlier this year. One more was named all-conference.

Wyoming’s head coaches in 2026 are Liz Lewis (Women’s Team) and Shawn Neary (Men’s Team). They are the current head coaches at Gillette College. Lewis led the Pronghorns to a 24-11 record in the 2025-26 season. They won the Region IX Women’s Basketball Postseason Tournament and reached the NJCAA DI Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament. Neary guided the Gillette men to a 13-15 record in the 2026 season.