The Integration of Commercial SUAS Quadcopters in MOS 19D OSUT Training

The Russia-Ukraine war clearly indi cates the importance of small un manned aerial systems (SUAS) on the modern and future battlefield. As the U. S. Army gathers lessons learned from the European conflict and shifts its own priority to preparation for largescale combat operations (LSCO), SUAS integration at all echelons is a top training priority. Though the U. S. Army pioneered the early use of SUAS systems, we failed to mass and implement the technology at the same rapid rate as the Russian and Ukrainian Armed Forces. We cannot ef fectuate our immense emphasis on and need for SUAS integration at the strategic and operational levels with out acquiring and training on the relevant platforms at the tactical levels. An average cavalry troop often possesses one or two Ravens (drones) and a few Black Hornets (drones). These quanti ties are insufficient and require reme diation. Buying commercial SUAS A few months ago, the 194th Armored Brigade, a military occupational spe cialty (MOS) 19D/K One Station Unit Training (OSUT) Brigade, possessed a few platforms — one of which was operational. This lack of equipment dras tically limited training opportunities for the Army’s future cavalry scouts and armor crewmen. To alleviate this shortage, 5th Squadron, 15th Cavalry Regiment, a subordinate squadron in the 194th Armored Brigade, leveraged a recent Army-approved policy for the selective purchase of commercial SUAS systems for training purposes. These off-the-shelf products have: (1) enabled MOS 19D Cavalry Scout train ees to learn to operate with and react to SUAS, and (2) afforded cadre members the opportunity to experiment with the advantages of SUAS in reconnaissance and security missions. The 5-15 Cavalry’s practice of purchasing commercial SUAS platforms, and associated lessons learned, should be replicated and disseminated across the force to yield maximal training output and preparation for LSCO. While the Army stands by for the re cent Department of Defense (DoD) initiative to develop and mass produce SUAS systems to come to fruition, commercial purchases offer a feasible solution for training. Regardless of unit or command type, changing a unit’s modified table of organization and equipment can be an arduous and time-consuming process.1 Commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) SUAS purchasing circumvents this problem and enables rapid equipment acquisition to train this critically important task. The 5-15 Cavalry purchased several COTS SUAS drones. Each item —purchased via the unit’s Government Purchase Card (GPC) – was employed in training within three months of initial order submission. Each of the five Figure 1. Drone operators within 5-15 Cavalry Squadron incorporate small-scale quad-copter SUAS drones into OSUT training. (U. S. Army photo by LTC Mitchell A Payne)

Winter- troops within 5-15 Cavalry now has a dedicated drone for training and the squadron headquarters retains are serve as well. Training operators, maintenance Even with the acquisition of the drones, 5-15 Cavalry needed to certify operators to fly the SUAS safely and within appropriate polices. Squadron and brigade SUAS master trainers ran a multi-day certification course. One day focused on classroom learning of SUAS and how to conduct minor re pairs on drones (how to replace blades, motors and fix hard stops). Another day focused on hands-on flight train ing, and the last day was flight certifi cation day. After completing the bri gade course, operators had to com plete an online course ran by the Air Force SUAS Manager (SUASMAN), the system of record for documenting SUAS training. The Air Force SUASMAN teaches more flight restrictions. The 5-15 Cavalry was able to train a 19D10 Cavalry Instructor (a recent graduate of 5-15 Cavalry OSUT) to become our primary drone operator in a few days. When it comes to maintenance, the SUAS came with a few replacement ro tor wings and spare batteries but that is all the spare parts available. There fore, once we break a SUAS we will have to either figure out away to fix it or we will have to replace it with the GPC. That is one reason the squadron bought a few extra SUAS to replace ones that will eventually break. The re placing of whole SUAS systems need to become apart of the squadron GPC budget moving forward just like with other consumable items. SUAS in 19D OSUT Adaptation for the future of warfare requires both doctrinal changes and new equipment. To facilitate this need, the U. S. Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence recently released anew “React to SUAS” battle drill for both mounted and dismounted units.2 We now teach and train this new tactical development like any other battle drill. Before 5-15 CAV purchased commercial drones, troops were required to submit usage requests and deconflict training with adjacent units at the brigade-level. Now, each Troop in 5-15 Cavalry can plan and execute SUAS training to integrate the new battle drill into each field training exercise (FTX). With the new designated drone, we employed it for both offensive and defensive tasks in more than 20 sorties between two FTXs. Our troop commander traveled in a Humvee with the drone operator dur ing a force-on-force situational training exercise. Sections or platoons of 19D trainees were able to request the asset from the troop headquarters. If ap proved by the commander, the drone operator moved the SUAS to the re quested region and reported the intel ligence collected to the requesting unit. When the unit under observation identified the SUAS in their area of op erations, they were expected to react in accordance with the battle drill. In maintaining control of the SUAS asset at the troop-level, trainees were kept on their toes in the defensive and re quired to think critically about offen sive opportunities to request and em ploy the technology. The SUAS feed also provided the commander with a unique ability to evaluate training from, quite literally, a bird’s eye view. The intent behind the SUAS was for Soldiers to associate SUAS with indirect fire when being observed. Observation posts (OPs) that failed to engage the drone were targeted with indirect fire, while observation posts that engaged the drone and subsequently dis placed to anew OP were left alone. Additionally, the SUAS reinforced the fundamentals of reconnaissance in “Gain and Maintain Enemy Contact” with SUAS augmenting dismounted and mounted teams as well as “Do not keep reconnaissance assets in re serve,” encouraging Soldiers to think Figure 2. PFC Jeremy D. Shumpert (5-15 Cavalry) operates a drone during a FORGE FTX to train Soldiers how to react to SUAS while dismounted. (U. S. Army photo by LTC Mitchell A Payne)

Winter- about all assets available to them. The use of SUAS at our FTXs enabled Soldier’s different views of their fighting positions or OPs, which contributed to more beneficial after-action reviews and teaching. Throughout the course of the FTX, each Soldier had the training opportunity to conduct the “React to SUAS” battle drill in the defense and employ SUAS technology in the offense. The trainees began to understand the im portance of overhead cover and con cealment in their mounted and dis mounted OPs. The new drones allowed the unit to demonstrate and train the importance of overhead cover and concealment to new Soldiers from their first day in the Army. This princi ple is critical across all skill levels. Training Soldiers to react to SUAS with real SUAS (even if commercial) and to evaluate Soldiers’ ability to cover and conceal themselves aerially is a prac tice that can, and should, be imple mented in most unit trainings at ech elon. Things to consider The COTS drone model purchased by 5-15 Cavalry differs greatly from most models that our cavalry Instructors were familiar with from their previous Army assignments. Most units employ fixed-wing SUAS assets like the Raven and Puma, or small rotary-wing tech nologies like the Black Hornet. The COTS drone is a quadcopter. Like the Black Hornet (but unlike the Raven and Puma), quadcopters are vertically launched and recovered, which mini mizes the amount of space needed for employment and enables greater ma neuverability. Quadcopters can hover and move quite slowly relative to other models. This allows a more deliberate information collection process and enables the operator to maneuver the drone between trees below their can opy level. To mitigate the risk of colli sion in this environment, the COTS SUAS drone is equipped with sensors that alert the operator when objects are too close. On the other hand, a sta tionary quadcopter, or a slow-moving quadcopter flying at a lower level is easier to identify and destroy than a fixed wing SUAS. Quadcopters’ relatively small size and light weight optimize its role in ground combat formations: Soldiers can easily carry the technology in their ruck while dismounted or store it in a vehicle without occupying much valuable space. While our quadcopter in Troop A, 5-15 Cavalry is not outfitted with a “payload,” we could theoretically add one — a capability not possessed by the Black Hornet. Our adversaries and allies in the Russian and Ukrainian Armed Forces, respectively, are employing several dif ferent types of SUAS, including quad copters. We must develop and acquire similar products and train with commercial contemporaries to ensure pre paredness for ensuing conflicts. Platoon recon/security In implementing the quadcopter in our platoon-level reconnaissance and se curity operations in 19D OSUT, one of the greatest lessons to emerge in volved the technology’s stated versus actual capabilities. The product’sad vertised maximum distances and flight times are based on ideal conditions. These statistics do not account for wind or signal obstructions between the drone and its remote controller. Realistically, no military unit will ever operate in “ideal conditions:” there will always be suboptimal weather and an unclear line of sight between an SUAS platform and its operator. These obstacles do not render drone technology moot, but simply requires addi tional training and individual product analysis by the operating units. When we evaluated the drone’s capabilities under our conditions, we identified a marked difference in its maximum dis tance in a wooded area versus in an open field or along a road. The drone could only reach about a 500-meter range in the woods despite its manu facturer’s claimed maximum distance of 12 kilometers. This reinforces the need for training and individualized as sessments in the context of the recon naissance and security mission sets. The cavalry Instructors who operated the drone during our troop’s FTXs and witnessed its employment, specifically referenced its potential advantages in security over reconnaissance missions. A drone’s ability to cover dead space is instrumental in the security context, but the trainees’ ability to identify the drone even at 100-feet elevation mini mized its usefulness for reconnais sance. Commanders using SUAS tech nology for reconnaissance must care fully assess whether the asset is worth risking for information collection. If it is flown low enough to gather beneficial intelligence, is the risk of identification too high? The decision to integrate SUAS Figure 3. Drone operators (5-15 Cavalry) use thermal imagery to highlight the capabilities of small-scale SUAS quadcopter drones. (U. S. Army photo by LTC Mitchell A Payne)

Winter- technology in small-unit reconnais sance and security operations is great ly dependent on the commander’s re connaissance and/or security guidance (CRG/CSG) and the type of SUAS. The risk of potential drone identification is much more acceptable under rapid/ forceful CRG, but perhaps untenable where stealth is paramount (depend ing upon the capabilities of the unit’s SUAS). For example, under stealthy/de liberate CRG, the SUAS presence might dangerously reveal a scout platoon’s location. For counter SUAS considerations, we recommend commanders give detailed engagement criteria for SUAS systems by SUAS group type and SUAS actions (i.e., is the SUAS transiting the unit or hovering above the unit) in their CRG/ CSG. In doing this, commanders enable a shorter decision-making process and shorter execution of the “React to Air” battle drill, which increases unit surviv ability. An OP, with this detailed guid ance, can engage the right SUAS upon identification of the enemy SUAS, or they might displace upon identifica tion. If the OP had to send the report to their platoon and then troop leadership for decisions, the SUAS might have already initiated a fire mission or engaged the OP. Additionally, until the scout platoon has organic counter SUAS capabilities beyond their organic weapons systems, there will be times when the CRG/CSG might preclude the troopers from engaging the enemy SUAS with direct fire weapons systems because it could give away their position. Therefore, a well thought out engagement criteria (or actions on con tact), by phase of an operation that includes SUAS considerations will enable platoon level and below success in reconnaissance and security operations. In general, continued training with var ied types of SUAS is warranted to truly understand the advantages and con straints of SUAS technology in cavalry formations. Future of SUAS The Army, specifically the Armor Branch, should evaluate the potential for SUAS use from an armored vehicle. We know that drones can be launched and recovered from the hatches of a Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV), but we have not yet tested if we can control the drone from under armored protec tion. If this is in fact possible, then scout platoons could employ SUAS to clear intervisibility lines and dead space prior to maneuver during rapid and forceful reconnaissance missions. If not, deployment from a BFV hatch could be preferable to dismounted team deployment to clear terrain prior to maneuver. Conclusion The Army’s allowance of commercial drone purchases by subordinate units has critically enabled rapid implementation of such technology in support of requisite training objectives. After only a few sorties, SUAS integration has re vealed important conclusions about the role of SUAS in cavalry formations and the development of specific tactics, techniques, and procedures based on drone-type. We liked the quadcopter design and the potential for adding payloads and being able to fly it in restricted terrain. Additionally, this SUAS could be easily thrown into a ruck sack or assault pack and does not add much additional weight. In a future scout platoon, a quadcopter should be one of the SUAS available but maybe not the only one they have. Each SUAS has different advantages and disadvantages that can only be discovered through training with the equipment. Since the Army has opened some commercial drone usage, the cavalry community should rapidly acquire and use these SUAS in training to help point the way forward for the best SUAS for reconnaissance and security operations. CPT Nathan Kraemer is the command er of Troop A, 5th Squadron, 15th Cavalry Regiment. His previous assignments include Battalion Maintenance Officer, 3rd Battalion 69th Armor Regiment, Fort Stewart, GA; and platoon leader, Company B, 3-69 Armor. CPT Kraemer’s mil itary education includes the Maneuver Captain’s Career Course, Maneuver Leader Maintenance Course, and Armor Basic Officer Leader Course. He has a bachelor’s of arts degree in eco nomics and business from the Virginia Military Institute. 1LT Gregory Brookover is the executive officer of Troop A, 5-15 Cavalry. His previous assignments include platoon leader, anti-tank guided platoon, Quickstrike Troop, 4th Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment; and assistant S-4, 4th Squadron, 15th Cavalry Regiment. 1LT Brookover’s military education includes Scout Leader Course, Stryker Scout Commander Course, Armor Basic Figure 4. The Company C, 5-15 Cavalry executive officer, 1LT Daren Pitts (left) coordinates with the drone operator, PFC Jeremy D. Shumpert to incorporate SUAS drones into OSUT training. (U. S. Army photo by LTC Mitchell A Payne)

Winter- Officer Leader Course and Air Assault School. He hold’s a bachelor’s of science degree in military history and French from the U. S. Military Academy. Notes 1 John Grady. “DEPSECDEF HICKS: DoD wants Thousands of Drones to Counter China’s Military Mass Advantage.” USNI Acronym Quick-Scan BFV – Bradley Fighting Vehicle COTS – commercial-off-the-shelf CRG – commander’s reconnaissance guidance CSG – commander’s security guidance DoD – Department of Defense FTX – field training exercise GPC – Government Purchase Card LSCO – large-scale combat operations OP – observation post OSUT – one-station unit training SUAS – small unmanned aerial systems SUASMAN – SUAS Manager News, Aug. 28, 2023. https://news.usni. org/2023/08/28/depsecdef-hicks-dod-wants-thousands-of-drones-to-counter-chinas-military-mass-advantage. 2 Task, 07-PLT-D8015 React to Aircraft While Dismounted – Platoon; and Task,17-PLT-D9515 React to Air attack While Mounted – Platoon, Thunderbolt Blast, Oct. 2023. Forge the Thunderbolt! Tank and Bradley crews from across the U. S. Army and partner nations compete during the 2024 Sullivan Cup Competition in the “React to SUAS and Vehicle ID” event at Good Hope Training Area on Fort Moore, GA, May 2, 2024. In the “React to SUAS and Vehicle ID” event, crews react to enemy drone movements. (U. S. Army photo by Joey Rhodes II, Fort Moore Public Affairs Office)