U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Lilly Sharma, a small unmanned aircraft system operator, with 12th Littoral Combat Team, 12th Marine Littoral Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, operates a Skydio X2D during a small unmanned aerial systems training (sUAS) on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Nov. 6, 2025. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Robert Blanks)
While the military boosts already-established UAS roles and inter-service job transfers, multiple services have begun to put drones into the hands or on the minds of its…
A U.S. Marine Corps rifleman with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit observes a Neros Archer first-person view drone during attack drone training on Camp Santiago, Puerto Rico, Nov. 22, 2025. (U.S. Marine Corps photo illustration)
Over the next several months, the service will aim to certify hundreds of Marines to use FPV drones, according to the Pentagon, with the goal of having…
Tech. Sgt. Alejandra Martinez, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing security manager and executive administration non-commissioned officer-in-charge, reviews policies and procedures at her workstation at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar on Oct. 18, 2019. National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, observed in October, is intended to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. John Wilkes)
Members of the 18th Space Defense Combat Squadron, a unit assigned to U.S. Space Forces – Space under the USSF Force Generation model, observe orbital data at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., Oct. 4, 2024. (Photo by David Dozoretz)
Soliders take part in the Synthetic Training Environment – Information System (STE-IS) Soldier Touch Point 2B in Orlando, Fla., March 29-31. The event was sponsored by the Army’s Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation and the Army’s Synthetic Training Environment Cross Functional Team. (U.S. Army photo by Donnie W. Ryan)
“What we’ve been able to do with air-ground collective training capability has really expanded what soldiers can learn and kind of get better at,” said Col. Nick…
Two members of the 216th Space Control Squadron (SPCS) set up antennas as part of a ‘Honey Badger System’ during BLACK SKIES 22 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., Sept. 20, 2022. The 216 SPCS specializes in electromagnetic warfare and is participating in the Space Training and Readiness Command’s (STARCOM) BLACK SKIES 22, along with numerous other units spanning from California to Colorado. The first of its kind, BLACK SKIES 22 is a live simulation exercise designed to rehearse the command and control of multiple joint electronic warfare fires. (U.S. Space Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Luke Kitterman)
Although much of the service’s efforts have been focused on simulations, the mission still demands that guardians be trained in live scenarios, said Maj. Gen. Shawn Bratton.
U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Mendoza, 216th Space Control Squadron space systems operator, utilizes a ‘Honey Badger System’ during BLACK SKIES 22 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., Sept. 20, 2022. (U.S. Space Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Luke Kitterman)
U.S. Air Force Airman participating in exercise VIRTUAL FLAG: Battle Management in a synthetic, joint combat environment, ensuring joint operational and tactical warfighter readiness in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, and eight distributed locations, Aug. 15-19, 2022. The 705th CTS, also known as the Distributed Mission Operations Center, used its live, virtual, and constructive, or LVC, environment capabilities to connect simulators and live aircraft in a dynamic battlespace to challenge air, land, and maritime combatants in the USINDOPACOM AOR and incorporating multiple U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Army platforms. (Papers on the desk were blurred for security purposes) (U.S. Air Force photo by Deb Henley)
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) transits the Pacific Ocean, Oct. 13, 2018. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Devin M. Monroe/Released)
