Army Leads Counter-Drone Efforts

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Soldiers test counter-UAS measures
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Army Leads Counter-Drone Efforts

All the services must work together to counter the growing threat posed by small, unmanned aircraft systems, said the Army leader tasked with the effort.

Unmanned aircraft systems, sometimes called drones, enable adversaries to conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions and attack U.S. forces at a low cost, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Army Drone Stays Aloft for 64 Days

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Airbus' Zephyr
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Army Drone Stays Aloft for 64 Days

After a record-breaking 64 days and almost 35,000 miles aloft, the Army’s latest test of a solar-powered, ultra-long endurance drone has come to an end.

The unmanned aerial system, Airbus’ Zephyr 8, launched June 15 from Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, and crashed Aug. 18, recording a remarkable flight of more than two months.

Webinar Tackles Army Counter-Drone Efforts

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Soldier with anti drone technology
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Webinar Tackles Army Counter-Drone Efforts

An upcoming webinar from the Association of the U.S. Army will focus on Army efforts to counter the growing threat of unmanned aerial systems.

Maj. Gen. Sean Gainey, director of the Joint Counter-Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Office and director of fires in the office of the deputy Army chief of staff for operations, will speak at noon Eastern Aug. 23.

The event is free, but registration is required here.

Rising Drone Use Presents Growing Risks for Army, DoD

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Drones
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Rising Drone Use Presents Growing Risks for Army, DoD

Drones will be the “weapon of choice” in future terrorist attacks as they become more easily and cheaply available and adaptable for all kinds of uses, according to a new paper published by the Association of the U.S. Army.

First employed with limited success during World War II, drones today are widely used across the military and commercially available around the world, making it easier for bad actors to use them, writes Maj. Thomas Pledger in “The Role of Drones in Future Terrorist Attacks.” 

The Role of Drones in Future Terrorist Attacks

Introduction

The technology of today, while impressive, is developing the tactics and techniques of future terrorist attacks. The most prescient current technology that will enable future terrorist attacks is the drone. Drones have the ability of providing standoff, which can enable terrorists to conduct multiple attacks nearly simultaneously, rapidly magnifying their overall effect. A terrorist attack is meant to create an atmosphere of fear to influence a target audience—a civilian population or government—to force or impose political change.

With Drones Come New Chemical, Biological Threats

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With Drones Come New Chemical, Biological Threats

Rapid advances in technology could make it easier for cheap, easily available drones to be turned into weapons capable of delivering chemical or biological warfare agents to the battlefield, according to a new Association of the U.S. Army paper.

“The Chemical and Biological Attack Threat of Commercial Unmanned Aircraft Systems” calls for a national counter-UAS strategy, a sufficient stockpile of necessary chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear protective equipment, and updated exercises and training concepts to incorporate this new threat, among other recommendations.

New Defenses Sought for Expanding UAS Threat

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New Defenses Sought for Expanding UAS Threat

The proliferation of armed, unmanned aerial systems in the hands of prospective adversaries puts the Army in a threat condition similar to the improvised explosive devices that changed ground operations in Iraq and Afghanistan more two decades ago, according to an Army expert looking at ways to counter the new airborne threat. 

“The threat is similar but a lot more sophisticated,” said David Goldstein, a counter-UAS team lead at the Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command who’s working on defenses against drones.