A US commander says facing Ukrainian hunters helped his troops figure out how to use armor in a drone-heavy fight
A US Army commander reported that training against Ukrainian drone-specialist forces helped his troops learn to better protect armored vehicles in modern combat. The soldiers adapted by using terrain and changing movement patterns to avoid detection by persistent drone surveillance.
Why it matters
Provides insight into how modern military tactics are evolving to counter the threat of drone warfare on the battlefield.
Watson wrote an op-ed describing how his soldiers adapted to the threats. US Army photo by Spc Austin Conner A US Army commander wrote an op-ed about his troops' recent training fight against Ukrainian forces. While drones were a problem, he said soldiers adapted their techniques, especially with their armored vehicles. Officials and experts have debated the vulnerability of armored vehicles against drones. A US Army commander wrote in a new opinion article that a recent combat training exercise against Ukrainian soldiers showed that armor like infantry fighting vehicles and tanks can still survive and make a difference on battlefields swarming with drones, but troops have to be able to adapt, to flexibly change how they move, hide, and fight. During the simulated battle, his troops saw how persistent drone surveillance exposed their movements and put their combat vehicles at risk.
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