Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle shakes hands with Rear Adm. Melvin Smith, commander of Submarine Group Two (COMSUBGRU 2), at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Robotic and Autonomous Systems Warfighting Development Center on Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Norfolk, Virginia, Sept. 24, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class John Bellino)
Gen. Christopher C. LaNeve, U.S. Army Vice Chief of Staff, delivers a presentation on strategic focus during the first day of the annual Maneuver Warfighter Conference, Sept. 15, 2026, in Marshall Auditorium at Fort Benning, Georgia. (U.S. Army photo by Joey Rhodes II)
U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Allen Steele III, a light armored reconnaissance master gunner with LAR Company F, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, conduct a kinetic strike rehearsal during the Marine Corps Attack Drone Competition at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, Aug. 13, 2026. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Joshua Barker)
Defense officials have touted competitions as a way to test new systems, share tactics across the force, identify talent and grow an institutional focus toward small drones…
U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Jason T. Hinds, U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa commander presides over a Silver Star ceremony at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, March 3, 2026. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Alexandra M. Longfellow)
U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to the 147th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron perform postflight checks on an MQ-9 Reaper drone assigned to the 147th Attack Wing, Texas Air National Guard, at Keflavík Air Base, Iceland, during exercise Northern Viking 26, Aug. 21, 2026. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Edgar Grimaldo)
A U.S. Army drone observes a training unit in the woods during exercise Saber Junction 26 at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center’s Hohenfels Training Area, Germany, Aug. 29, 2026. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Brandon Miles)
Following an exercise in Germany set to end this month, the battalion will stop its specialized drone mission and return to its core task as an airborne…
A U.S. Army soldier with 4th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, assigned to Joint Task Force-Southern Border (JTF-SB), monitors the southern border through binoculars during a patrol in Yuma, Az., Jan. 5, 2026. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Sawyer Carleton)
Over two days this week, Joint Task Force-Southern Border used the Army Multipurpose High Energy Laser system to engage three "hostile" UAS, according to a press release.