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Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Yahoo
US special operators are going all in on drones so that a human never has to make 'first contact' with the enemy
US special operations forces are working with a lot of different drones. Operators said the speed of technological innovation requires constant learning. Each type of uncrewed system has a different purpose, but the goal is to acquire a lot of it for cheap. FORT BRAGG, North Carolina — I play a lot of video games, and the simulator in front of me looked familiar enough: a handheld controller hooked up to a laptop. Picking up the controller with confidence, I figured my years of gaming would give me an advantage. I was ready to fly my drone through an abandoned city, or so I thought. The controls for movement — up, down, front, back — were extremely sensitive, far more than I expected. I tried flying my drone into an empty, concrete building. I shakily skirted the edge of it and landed on the street. Then I just flew up and down for a bit, crashing a few more times as I went along. "I'm not very good at this," I said. The US Army special operator who had been attempting to coach me, agreed, telling me that I probably wouldn't make a good drone pilot. The good thing is that I don't need this particular skill, but the soldiers preparing for future fights and modern war need it as much as they do small arms skills and fieldcraft. Drones are fast becoming an unavoidable part of warfare. The operator took the controller and effortlessly flew in and out of small windows in buildings. He cut sharp corners and soared through the open air. He made it look easy. It's not. US special forces have been leading the charge on acquiring drones and training with them, working closely with industry partners on what capabilities are needed and then honing the skills required to operate them effectively. At the US Army Special Operations Command's Capabilities Exercise at Fort Bragg in North Carolina last week, drones were everywhere. Small quadcopters, uncrewed ground vehicle systems, robot dogs, loitering munitions, and more were on display. Operators and officials cited a number of reasons as to why uncrewed systems seemed to be such a priority. Pointing at one of wheeled drones, Bryan Boyea, the ground robotics capabilities manager with USASOC's robotics division under its force modernization center, said that the goal was to "eliminate first contact ever being a human being." The drone, Boyea noted, allowed operators to extend their eyes and ears on the battlefield. Another, smaller drone — white and flatter to the ground — was nearby. This one, he said, is mostly for reconnaissance and intelligence purposes, gathering information on potential enemies in both urban and subterranean environments instead of a human being or military dog. The drones are among the smaller ground equipment available to special operators, portable so teams can pick them up and carry them around. The bigger one weighs around 30 pounds. First-person-view, or FPV, quadcopters were sitting nearby. These are smaller uncrewed aerial systems, lightweight and used for either intelligence-gathering or dropping smaller payloads. One of the key attributes of these types of drones, operators said, was their adaptability — being able to change the sensors and payloads based on the mission requirements. They're also highly mobile, relatively easy to learn, and — ideally — scalable, meaning operators could use them in swarms. A variety of companies are involved in producing different types of drones, and one operator said an important project is ensuring that the technology can work together with other systems via similar software. Because the technology is developing so quickly, there's often a debate surrounding whether learning drones is an additional duty for operators — or an entirely new job in itself. One Army special forces operator, who requested anonymity for security reasons, said the difference may come down to the type of drone. A small ground drone with limited controls, it's likely that "anybody can pick that up in like 20 seconds," he said. But a quadcopter, for example, something that requires more flight skill and maintenance, "that's a job." Some other uncrewed aerial systems, or UAS, such as UVision's Hero loitering munition and AeroVironment's Switchblade, were on display as well. Loitering munitions are one-way attack drones that loiter in an area before striking a selected target. UVision's Hero has smaller and larger models; the former is easier to transport for forward-deployed operators, while the latter requires a launching platform and is designed for greater ranges. The Switchblade, also a loitering munition, has been used by the US military for over a decade and saw heavy use in conflicts in the Middle East. They're designed to be small, although larger models do exist as well. This technology, much like FPV quadcopters, has been employed extensively in Ukraine. Multiple robot dogs — quadruped ground drones — were also at the CAPEX, including one toting a rifle on its head. One such model was from Ghost Robotics. These drones have been a growing interest for militaries around the world as ways to enhance the reach and reconnaissance of soldiers, as well as keep humans and military dogs out of harm's way. Controlled by an operator, a robot dog's resting position looks, well, like a dog sitting. After it rises, it can move around on its four legs, twist and turn to look around, and run. When the camera at the front of it points in a direction, it does sort of feel like a dog looking up. Operators, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told Business Insider the biggest challenge with all these drones is quickly learning all of the different controls and specifications. Operators said it's becoming a bigger requirement, and it falls in line with SOF's larger shift towards great-power competition and preparation for the possibility of a war with a near-peer or peer-level adversary, a fight that could see prolific drone use, as well as countermeasures like electronic warfare. It's a process bringing in new warfighting technologies, but one operator said "we're very good at integrating and training with the teams to make sure everyone's on the same wavelength when it comes to how we're going to integrate sUAS [small uncrewed aerial systems] and UGVs into the battlefield and onto a team." Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
We watched elite US special operators run through a Taiwan crisis assault. They fought off drones and blasted into an enemy command center.
US Army special operations forces showcased new capabilities and an assault operation during an immersive exercise. The scenario reflected a potential fight during a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. The operators and leadership spoke to the importance of new innovations and readiness. FORT BRAGG, North Carolina — The low hum of a quadcopter drone cuts through the air like a buzzing bee. It's faint and difficult to track. The sound grows louder as the swarm builds. The drones are fast and small and hard to see, but the noise of the growing swarm is becoming overwhelming. They are rushing over barren dirt roads and empty buildings. Then the bombs begin to fall, and the explosions are deafening. People are hit, collapsing on the ground, screaming, covered in blood as dust fills the air. It's chaos. This shocking opening act was just one element of a training exercise at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, where US Army Special Operations Command held its annual Capabilities Exercise, or CAPEX, last week. Open to the public, CAPEX offers a close look at what US Army Special Operations Forces are working on and how they'd respond to a potential real-world conflict. This year's scenario was a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a growing concern as China modernizes its forces. The day began with a briefing from Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, the USASOC commanding general, on the threat of a Chinese incursion on Taiwan. Braga highlighted 2027, the date Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping has indicated China's military needs to be ready to invade Taiwan. While there's no guarantee it takes that step, Braga called it "by exponential means, the greatest threat we have." Thinking about that challenge is playing a role in shaping how ARSOF operators train and the capabilities they develop. American special operators are in a transition period. After decades of counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations, they are now shifting, along with the rest of the military, toward great-power competition and potential conflict with a top adversary. Special forces leaders have said the change requires new skillsets from operators that will affect how they approach supporting conventional forces and irregular warfare. In some respects, it will mean a return to Cold War-era roles and tactics. Throughout the CAPEX, ARSOF personnel talked at length about what they're prioritizing. Drones and other uncrewed systems are at the forefront. The initial, simulated drone attack from Chinese forces during the exercise left a few people "wounded," prompting ARSOF to demonstrate their crisis and medical responses. It was tense but orderly — personnel cared for superficial wounds, assessed serious injuries, and took immediate action. The drill shifted into high gear when ARSOF went on offense with a raid into enemy territory aimed at opening up a temporary air corridor for follow-on forces. From the top of a building, BI and others watched as an assault team broke from cover, surprising its enemies with rapid M240B machine gun fire. It was loud and sudden. The American team then took control of the area surrounding a Russian-made SCUD tactical ballistic missile. Enemy uncrewed aerial systems flew around the area, leading to the use of counter-drone capabilities to detect, track, and ultimately neutralize them. Officials said the counter-UAS system used sensors and deployed interceptor drones to conduct a "command-link takeover" that essentially breaks the connection between drones and their operators. That system was then used to identify the launch point of the drones. With a loitering munition and a separate drone, the assault team took out the targets. With the air corridor open, forces from the 75th Ranger Regiment and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment were then able to enter the area and target a key enemy facility: a hostile command and control center. Two MH-47 Chinook helicopters, special operations variants of the heavy lift transport aircraft, soared in from the distant tree line. The arrival of the Chinooks was fast. As they came in, they stirred up dirt and dust, making it hard to see two assault squads scurry down ropes, called a fast-rope insertion, from the helicopters onto the tops of adjacent buildings. Just as quickly as they arrived, the helicopters flew off. They couldn't linger. The assault groups cleared the buildings before lining up for an explosive breach of the enemy command building. First-person-view drones were flying around, too, providing critical situational awareness. Once the center's entrance was breached, the groups filed in, neutralizing enemy combatants in close-quarters combat. The combat exercise also included an enemy counterattack. ARSOF fought with Carl Gustaf Recoilless Rifles that fire 84mm rockets, M240B (7.62) machine guns, M320 grenade launchers, 60MM mortar systems, and Javelin. The counterattack was quickly defeated. And to top it off, ARSOF fired a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) to target enemy air defenses and continue to keep the air corridor open, making further infiltration and exfiltration an option. The CAPEX offered visitors a whirlwind look at aspects of a possible fight during a potential Chinese invasion, but it also highlighted other aspects of ARSOF. Its Civil Affairs component, as well as language courses and physical and mental health requirements, were also demonstrated. Col. Luke VanAntwerp, director of US Army Special Operations Command's Capability Development Integration Directorate, called ARSOF "an incredible bargain" for the US military. "With a small investment, a small number of people with generational relationships," he said, operators can deter conflict. If it breaks out, though, they want to make sure they can exact a toll on the adversary wherever and however is most effective. USASOC is made up of around 33,000 people. That's less than 6% of the Army, but it's more than 51% of the US military's special operations forces. They're deployed to more than 70 countries, learn 17 different languages, and focus on deterring conflict, making relationships with partners and allies, and keeping their finger on the pulse of what's happening. Read the original article on Business Insider
