Lt. Col. Lauren Cabral, commander of the 834th Transportation Battalion, Transcom commander Gen. Randall Reed, and representatives from their teams connected on port diversification and civil utilities initiatives at Military Ocean Terminal Concord (MOTCO) in California, June 2, 2026. (Photo by Brandi Vincent)
Officials involved suggested that a notable portion of the effort focused on developing the tactics, techniques, and procedures for manned-unmanned teaming.
Marine Corps Col. Jeremie “Hank” Hester, director of the Marine Corps Capabilities Development Directorate’s Aviation Combat Element speaks during a panel at GDIT’s Emerge: Battlespace of the Future conference in Washington, D.C., June 2, 2026. (Photo by Isaac Latimer with EPNAC)
“They have their organic weapon systems, and now we're asking them to put another 30 pounds of kit of ground control stations, all the accouterments that go…
ATLANTIC OCEAN (Dec, 6, 2024) – A Mission Specialist Defender Mark IV remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) transits the Atlantic Ocean submerged during the Australia, United Kingdom and U.S. (AUKUS) Pillar II Subsea and Seabed Warfare Event Two/Integrated Battle Problem 25.1. During the event, U.S. Navy, Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy personnel launched, tested and provided demonstrations for several unmanned underwater vehicles, to include the Mission Specialist Defender Mark IV remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) and the IVER4 900 autonomous-underwater vehicle. The AUKUS Advanced Capabilities line of effort – known as Pillar II – is a seminal strategic partnership and technology accelerator for the three AUKUS nations to harness and uplift innovation enterprises and industrial bases, remove barriers to cooperation, and deliver advanced capabilities for AUKUS warfighters. (Image produced utilizing a screen capture from video.) (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Justin E. Yarborough)
A Soldier with 2nd Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces Regiment, Mississippi Army National Guard, checks communications while conducting boat infiltration training during Southern Strike 2024 (SSTK), at NASA Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, April 17, 2024. SSTK is a large-scale, joint multinational combat exercise that allows soldiers across the United States and our international partners access to exceptional training. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Benjamin Tomlinson)
A US soldier prepares an interception drone of the American MEROPS counter drone system to launch during tests at the Nowa Deba military training ground, south-eastern Poland, on November 18, 2025. (Photo by Wojtek RADWANSKI / AFP) (Photo by WOJTEK RADWANSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll speaks at the Army Defense Critical Infrastructure (DCI) Summit at Fort Bragg, N.C., May 14, 2026. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Prim Hibbard)
“This is a no-fail mission and a national security imperative, but the threat is real, persistent and growing,” Brandon Pugh, principal cyber advisor to the secretary of…
Marine Raiders with Fox Company, 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, Marine Forces Special Operations Command, provides perimeter security, at an undisclosed location Dec. 16, 2025. (U.S. Marine Corps photos by Lance Cpl. Jared Saul)
“The ability to quickly integrate autonomous behaviors on multiple different platforms in multiple different domains, without it having to be specifically built for that platform, is something…
A map shows the Strait of Hormuz on a laptop computer screen in this photo illustration in Athens, Greece, on March 3, 2026. (Photo by Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 2nd Platoon, 2d Cavalry Regiment, operate a new drone detection and jamming system during a validation exercise at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, April 15, 2026. The validation exercise assessed the system’s ability to identify, jam, and counter unmanned aerial systems. Results will help determine the equipment’s readiness for integration during exercise Fly Trap 5.0 in May 2026. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Sgt. Joseph Honce)
A major counter-drone exercise taking place in Europe this month has demonstrated U.S. soldiers’ additive manufacturing prowess, according to an officer involved in the experimentation and training…