Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drones positioned on the tarmac at a base in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (Photo by CENTCOM Public Affairs).
While Adm. Brad Cooper touted the task force as a boon for regional security, Centcom declined to say whether any other countries had joined the unit, even…
U.S. Coast Guard Crew members assigned to Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutter USCGC Emlen Tunnell (WPC 1145) man their battle stations as the cutter prepares for a live-fire exercise while transiting the South China Sea, June 6, 2026. The Coast Guard Expeditionary Cutter Squadron is a deployable force of Fast Response Cutters with organic command, logistics and support capabilities, enabling sustained forward operations from partner nation locations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Dakota L. David)
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth hosts a drone demonstration at the Pentagon, July 10, 2025. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Alondra Y. Lopez Gonzalez)
U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 125th Intelligence and Electronic Warfare Battalion, 25th Infantry Division, prepare and launch an unmanned surface vessel, during Exercise Balikatan 2026, in La Paz Sand Dunes, Laoag City, Philippines, Apr. 29, 2026. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Omarion Hall)
An AH-64E Apache assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, prepares to land in a forward arming and refueling point in order to receive refuel before conducting operations for Operation Epic Fury in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, May 2, 2026. (U.S. Marine Corps photo)
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 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)
