A U.S. Army soldier assigned to 6th Battalion, 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, performs set-up tasks on an air defense system as part of Exercise Dragon Flag on Kunsan Air base, August 18, 2026. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Spc. Samantha Mussatti)
The 8th Army has been learning from what’s happening in Ukraine and the Middle East, and working through changes in its own tactics, techniques and procedures, Lt.…
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman John Ives, 90th Ground Combat Training Squadron defender, pilots a drone during an X4 and SMASH 2000L Systems Firing Qualification at Camp Guernsey Joint Training Center’s North Training Area, Wyoming, May 15, 2026. The drone carried balloon targets to help operators practice acquiring, tracking and engaging simulated aerial threats. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Michael A. Richmond)
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth tests a Dronebuster while touring static displays led by the 3rd Battalion, 10th Mountain Division (3/10 MTN) Warriors and Foreign Legion Force Poland Battle Group in Powidz, Poland, Feb. 15, 2025. (DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander C. Kubitza)
Director of Joint Interagency Task Force 401 Brigadier General Matthew Ross tours Yuma Test Center at Yuma Proving Ground in Yuma, Ariz., Sept. 22, 2026, ahead of the Falcon Peak demonstration. (DOD Photo by Ana Henderson)
Gen. Dagvin Anderson, commander of U.S. Africa Command, participates in a small unmanned aircraft system demonstration with U.S. soldiers from the 1st Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, at Rose Barracks, Vilseck, Germany, Sept. 1, 2026. As the pace of innovation accelerates and tactics continue to evolve, sAUS integration is becoming increasingly critical to adaptation on the modern battlefield by improving how units coordinate detection, tracking and response capabilities against emerging aerial threats. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Tucceri, AFRICOM public affairs)
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…