Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin this week released a new classified strategy that outlines the Pentagon’s contemporary approach to countering growing and conflicting drone threats that continue to pose urgent risks to U.S. military personnel and assets – at the nationally and abroad.
In a briefing with reporters Thursday, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder announced the limited release of this new, holistic, army-wide plan. he is undertaking to deal with some potentially dangerous unmanned systems, which he says are “changing the way wars are fought.” .”
“It’s not necessarily a new thing. But what we’re seeing is the way drones are used – the impact of how they’re used – something that, again, we can’t manage on an ad hoc basis. We need to do this comprehensively and consistently,” Ryder told DefenseScoop during the briefing.
“And that’s really what this strategy does, is it basically allows the (Department of Defense) to look across the department and our interagency partners, (and it guides) the best way to work together to solve this problem,” he said.
A fact sheet on this new DOD strategy to combat unmanned systems was published online shortly after the briefing.
Details on the plan’s inclusions are light in this version. Officials point out that “from the Middle East to Ukraine and around the world,” including in the United States, “business innovation and the growing sophistication of artificial intelligence (AI), autonomy and of network technology” allow drones to radically disrupt reality. -global operations on and off the battlefield.
The unclassified fact sheet states that in order to “mitigate the effects of unmanned systems in the short, medium and long term, the strategy articulates five “strategic pathways,” each of which provides specific direction that the ministry will pursue in implementing implemented.” They are:
—Deep understanding and awareness of unmanned systems trends and threats
— Disrupt and degrade unmanned systems threat networks
— Defend against unmanned systems threats to U.S. interests
—Provide solutions that are faster, more adaptable and more scalable
—Develop and design the future joint force for modes of warfare driven by unmanned systems
“At the operational level, these systems make it more difficult for forces to conceal, concentrate, communicate, and maneuver,” the fact sheet states. “At the strategic level, unmanned systems offer aggressors the ability to reduce the initial human, financial, and reputational costs of conflict. »
In response to most questions Thursday, Ryder largely told reporters he could not share specific tactics, techniques or procedures in the new framework at this point.
“It’s just a matter of seeing how we approach this.” First, it is to ensure that the department is prepared to conduct counter-unmanned systems operations, or counter-UAS operations. Second, it’s about how we respond to incidents that arise by bringing together subject matter experts and resources. And third, it tracks counter-UAS equipment,” he said.
The fact sheet says the strategy aims to build on other major DOD initiatives – “including the creation of the Joint Small UAS Countermeasures Office, the creation of a Senior Warfighter Integration Group to meet urgent operational needs and the launch of the Replicator”. 2 initiative” – to defend against intensifying threats from small, unmanned platforms to some of its most critical installations.
Replicator 2.0 is a key part of the Pentagon’s plan to compete with China. It aims to accelerate the production of technologies that the US military can use to detect and destroy enemy drones.
The release of the new strategy also follows a growing number of reports that troops are actively monitoring bases and airspace in the US and UK after mysterious small drones were spotted and detected nearby of several bases over the course of several days since the end of November.
“This is not a response to recent events. This is work that has been in the works for some time – and obviously very important,” Ryder told DefenseScoop on Thursday regarding DOD’s timeline for producing the counter-UAS strategy.