FORT BRAGG, N.C. – Soldiers from across the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne)’s Advanced Skills Company kicked off the unit’s first baseline lethality exercise to bolster the Group’s ability to tackle evolving global threats. Coined “War Horse,” 3rd Group is standardizing the baseline training pathway, building readiness and enhancing combat lethality for the Special Forces Operational Detachment Alphas (SFOD-A or ODA).

Across the Special Forces regiment, the ODA serves as the building block to execute unconventional warfare. Teams consist of 12 Army Special Forces Soldiers: a detachment commander, an assistant detachment commander and 10 highly skilled Soldiers with advanced training in weapons, intelligence, technical communications, medicine and engineering. Together, the ODA is highly autonomous, designed for self-sufficiency and independent operations in hostile, denied, or politically sensitive environments.

Across 3rd SFG(A), ODAs are adopting a new way to build operational readiness. Over the next eight weeks, the unit will assess more than 100 ARSOF Soldiers as they train on tasks across seven warfighting functions, developing combat effectiveness and building readiness for future operational requirements.

“Developing a centralized baseline lethality training model enables the Group to standardize training across our ODAs while maximizing the use of our resources,” said Army Col. Anthony Heisler, commander of 3rd Group, emphasizing the criticality of implementing War Horse across the Group. “This training is preparing our formation to fight and win under the most demanding and disadvantageous conditions. The nation’s expectation of us is simple; fight and win in any environment and War Horse will help us deliver on that commitment.”

War Horse, which pays homage to the group’s nickname as the “warhorse of the regiment,” consists of six distinct modules designed to build individual and team-level readiness. Special Forces Soldiers begin training with academic instruction, building a shared understanding of Special Operations’ role in large-scale combat operations, and how evolving global threats shape the operational environment.

“War Horse is designed to assess our Green Berets on 22 baseline lethality tasks to ensure we are ready to operate in a variety of different environments with partners from across the Joint Force,” said the commander of 3rd Group’s Advanced Skills Company. “We built this exercise to codify the foundational skills of our Special Forces, replicating the most complex and dynamic environments to ensure the Group is ready to execute the most demanding missions across the world.”

After a week of academics, ODAs develop tactical operations procedures, working with seasoned Special Forces Soldiers to strengthen their foundational knowledge of executing battle drills in a multitude of environments. A week of building this tactical proficiency helps ensure Special Forces Soldiers are prepared to conduct tactical mission planning and execution during the following module.

In the two weeks following tactical skills development, the Advanced Skills Company will put the Green Berets to the test, assessing combat readiness by testing tactical proficiencies throughout a variety of different combat scenarios. Special Forces Soldiers initial movements are conducted throughout Uwharrie National Forest, a key training site used in the assessment of Soldiers vying to earn the Green Beret during the Special Forces Qualification Course’s Robin Sage exercise. The infiltration is designed to test ODAs’ movements across mountainous terrain, rapid decision-making, and combat readiness under a variety of different conditions.

Following training at the Uwharrie National Forest, ODA’s return to Fort Bragg, continuing to build upon skills developed over the previous two weeks. For the next three weeks, teams of Special Forces Soldiers continue to build readiness, executing live fire ranges, employing and calling for indirect fire systems, conducting dismounted maneuvers during both day and night and completing an immersive medical training scenario that ensures detachments are prepared to operate independently with minimal logistical support.

At the end of War Horse, ODAs take lessons learned and continue team-level training progression specific to missions across Africa, 3rd SFG(A)’s area of responsibility.

3rd Group mans, trains, equips, educates, and globally deploys scalable Special Forces, Civil Affairs, and Psychological Operations elements to conduct Special Operations by, with, and through, partners, surrogates, and allies to solve problems on behalf of Geographic Combatant Commanders, Theater Special Operations Command Commanders, US Ambassadors, and the Nation.

Story by MAJ Justin Zwick 

3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne)

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DONNELLY TRAINING AREA, Alaska — Paratroopers from 2nd Battalion, 377th Parachute Field Artillery Regiment (PFAR) made history within the 11th Airborne Division as they successfully executed the first artillery battalion live fire evaluation in the division’s history.

The battalion, based at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, deployed more than 400 paratroopers and 100 tactical vehicles 350 miles north to the Donnelly Training Area near Delta Junction, Alaska. The 16-day exercise, which ran from Oct. 13-29, 2026, culminated in the successful completion of Artillery Table (AT) XVIII—the first of its kind within the 11th Airborne Division.

An Artillery Table XVIII evaluation is a critical milestone that validates an artillery battalion’s capability to provide direct, synchronized supporting fires for a mobile brigade combat team. Because an Artillery Table XVIII requires an external evaluation typically conducted by a Division Artillery (DIVARTY) headquarters, a capability the newly formed 11th Airborne Division is slated to stand up next year, the division’s Fire Support Element engineered a unique solution. They sourced external evaluators from I Corps, securing critical evaluator support from the 17th Field Artillery Brigade and artillerymen from 7th Infantry Division out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.

“Executing the first-ever Table XVIII battalion live fire in the division is a monumental achievement for our paratroopers and the Division,” said Lt. Col. Ian P. Grundhauser, commander of the 2-377 PFAR. “This exercise laid the groundwork and established the model for what battalion-level evaluations will look like for the 11th Airborne Division, and ultimately for our DIVARTY when it stands up next year.”

The road to battalion qualification required the unit to first qualify all three of its firing elements, Alpha (Falcon), Bravo (Eagle), and Charlie (Raven) batteries, during Artillery Table XV battery live-fire evaluations. Once the batteries successfully qualified by firing hundreds of live rounds, the battalion transitioned into the complex Table XVIII phase.

During the final evaluation, the battalion was forced to operate in a highly contested environment. Oppositional forces conducted hit-and-run direct fire engagements against the artillery positions, but the primary threat came in the form of simulated enemy counterfire which is one of the greatest threats to modern artillery. To survive, paratroopers had to rapidly mass fires through simultaneous shooting from disparate, remote locations, and then immediately displace their howitzers to new firing points before the simulated enemy could retaliate.

The paratroopers achieved all training objectives and safely fired more than 600 artillery rounds, despite facing brutal subzero Arctic conditions. Throughout the 16-day window, temperatures plummeted to zero degrees Fahrenheit, winds howled at 35 knots, and the training area accumulated between 12 and 18 inches of snow.

“This evaluation proved that we can mass fires, maintain tactical survivability against a modern threat, and deliver devastating, precise lethality in some of the most unforgiving, Arctic conditions on the planet,” Grundhauser said. “Our Arctic Angels are trained, qualified, and ready to support the maneuver fight.”

Following the successful completion of this historic evaluation, the battalion redeployed south to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, establishing a tested precedent for cold-weather artillery operations in the Pacific theater.

Story by MAJ Ian Roth 

11th Airborne Division

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ADELPHI, Md. — Years of Army scientific research culminated in the successful flight demonstration of a 3D-printed heavy-fuel rotary-engine series-hybrid system, advancing power and propulsion science for future tactical unmanned aircraft systems.

Researchers at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, known as DEVCOM, Army Research Laboratory, designed the advanced drone propulsion through its Versatile Tactical Power and Propulsion essential research program.

“The program addresses critical power and propulsion challenges by advancing fundamental science that could enable drones to fly longer and faster, operate at higher altitudes, carry heavier payloads and perform in extreme environments while reducing logistics burdens,” said Dr. Chol-Bum “Mike” Kweon, DEVCOM ARL program manager. “For warfighters, the program has transitioned research findings to industry partners for maturation and integration into capabilities that could enable mid-sized drones to operate beyond line of sight, extending the reach of ground commanders and reducing risk to Soldiers.”

ARL researchers used advanced computational fluid dynamics modeling and a clean-sheet design approach to address the challenges of efficiently burning heavy fuel in a rotary engine. The work improved fuel atomization and vaporization while minimizing compressed-air and fuel-vapor leaks.

“The use of advanced manufacturing, including 3D metal printing, allowed us to rapidly redesign engine components based on lessons learned through experimentation,” Kweon said. “It enabled us to design an air-cooled engine that reduces propulsion-system size and eliminates the need for liquid coolant.”

Integrated with a novel 400-volt motor-generator system, the engine forms a heavy-fuel rotary-engine series-hybrid system designed to support vertical takeoff and landing operations in contested environments.

To demonstrate the propulsion system in flight, ARL worked with industry partners, including Griffon Aerospace, to develop an aircraft platform around the propulsion system. The novel series hybrid system powers the Group 3 midsized, unmanned aircraft system, Versatile Intelligence Controlled Tactical Operational Reconnaissance and Attack, or VICTOR UAS.

The Versatile Intelligence-Controlled Tactical Operational Reconnaissance and Attack, or VICTOR unmanned aircraft system, developed by DEVCOM ARL and industry partners demonstrating launch, flight and landing capabilities near Huntsville, Alabama. (U.S. Army video Casey Knighten)

The VICTOR essential research program generated many additional outcomes for the Army, industry and academia, including:

Collaborative research with more than 30 universities, more than 13 federal laboratories and more than 20 industry partners that resulted in hundreds of scientific journal publications in diverse areas including combustion chemistry, sensing and controls, material design, batteries and hybrid electric technology

Professionally developed hundreds of scientists and engineers now working in government, industry and academia

Research advances that address energy and propulsion challenges relevant to tactical-level energy independence

Technical data packages, design methods and reliability lessons applicable to future propulsion and drone design and integration efforts

Tens of patents and patent applications

Lessons from the essential research program will inform follow-on ARL research and industry development efforts, including the Persistent Unmanned Aircraft System for Logistics, Strike, Autonomy, and Reconnaissance, or PULSAR, an advanced drone-operation concept that enables multi-mission capabilities through a swarm of VICTOR drones.

The VICTOR UAS and the PULSAR concept will be made available to military partners for further experimentation and development. Industry partners will continue refining VICTOR UAS for other applications.

US Army DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory Public Affairs Office

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PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. — The ever-evolving unmanned aerial systems toolbox has grown even stronger with the introduction of the Munitions Air-dropped Lethal Effects Tool, or MALET, developed by the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center.

The MALET is a kit which converts munitions so that they can be dropped as part of unmanned aerial system deployment. Instead of having to procure purpose-built munitions on drones, Soldiers will be able to use rounds which they have in abundance already, such as 60mm and 81mm mortar rounds.

Work on MALET began in 2024 when experts at the DEVCOM Armaments Center’s Fuze and Mortar Divisions recognized a critical opportunity: rather than introducing new munitions to the battlefield, Soldiers could benefit from a capability to safely drop existing munitions without having to perform field modifications or manually remove safety mechanisms. The team saw the project through with input from the Energetics and Warheads Directorate.

The kit adds fuze function and ensures the aerodynamic stability required for a drone drop of the cartridge. Additionally, integrating MALET is a non-destructive process, so clipping on the kit does not compromise the mortar, nor does removing the kit. As such, if a munition is not expended or mission requirements change, the kit can be removed, returning the munition back to its original state and allowing it to be fired as a conventional mortar.

According to Senior Scientific Technical Manager for Indirect Fire Munitions Ryan Gorman, the MALET architecture can be applied to munitions beyond 60mm and 81mm mortars, and the MALET integrated product team is exploring even more concepts which, while mostly close-hold for now, Gorman referred to as “unique.” Mortars were the first to be demonstrated due to their maturity and alignment with large UAS requirements.

“The MALET program is a great example of how the DEVCOM Armaments Center can leverage core competencies like fuze design, safety, and ammunition development and apply them to a dynamic, emerging space like lethal UAS to provide a unique and viable option for the warfighter,” explained Gorman.

According to MALET Project Lead Brad Armstrong, test drops at multiple U.S. Army facilities have already shown the MALET’s effectiveness, successfully maturing both the system’s fuze function and its critical safety elements. The team just recently had a successful test where they demonstrated performance of MALET with live 60mm mortars. The items were dropped from a UAS on the move; they oriented correctly and detonated within the desired target area.

The MALET integrated product team’s intention is to distribute the kit to major military exercises in the fall to allow for Soldier touchpoint and receive feedback. Conversations with industry partners, the user and acquisition communities have already proven fruitful.

The Armaments Center’s efforts are meant to validate system capabilities and seamlessly transition the MALET to industry partners and the acquisition community.  This strategy will allow the military to scale and field the system rapidly, while engineers at the Armaments Center continue to work on iterative improvements based on feedback from the warfighter at tests and exercises.

By Tyler Barth

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JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Paratroopers from the 11th Airborne Division executed a joint forcible entry operation into Hawaii, marking their division’s participation in the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center Rotation 27-01.

Known as “Arctic Aloha,” the operation saw Alaska-based paratroopers depart Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson execute an in-flight rig and deploy directly into a joint forcible entry operation in the United States Pacific Command area of responsibility while in continuous flight.

Displaying joint, long-distance synchronization, the JBER-based main body conducted an in-flight link-up with one of its infantry companies flying from Japan, after concluding their participation in Operation Keen Sword, to jump as a unified battalion task force into Hawaii. For the “Arctic Angels,” the exercise serves as a critical validation of their unique role as the Army’s only Arctic and Pacific airborne division.

In-flight rigging is the complex process of paratroopers putting on, adjusting and safety-inspecting their parachutes and combat equipment while inside the aircraft during flight, rather than on the ground before takeoff. For a flight of this distance, rigging in the air is a critical capability. It allows paratroopers to fly without the crushing weight of their parachutes and combat gear for nearly eight hours, preserving their physical endurance so they can land fresh, alert and immediately ready for the close battle.

“This exercise gives us the opportunity to validate our ability to strategically deploy and project power across a large distance,” said Col. Matthew Adamczyk, deputy commanding officer for operations for the 11th Airborne Division. “We can project a battalion task force or larger from Alaska, execute an in-flight rig and then insert directly into the Pacific [area of responsibility]. Securing a key piece of infrastructure in this manner enables follow-on operations.”

A primary training objective during the nearly 3,000-mile flight was testing in-route mission command. Taking off from Alaska, the division monitored the battlefield at flight altitude above the Pacific Ocean, maintaining a constant digital link with I Corps, U.S. Army Pacific headquarters and joint forces monitoring the operation from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.

“After taking off from JBER, we monitored the battlefield from inside our aircraft while I Corps and the joint force sets the conditions for our entry,” Adamczyk explained. “This allowed us to ensure conditions were set and maintain that vital link with our division and corps headquarters as we fly.”

The exercise serves as a real-world application of the Army’s newest operational warfighting guidance, How the Army Fights, which organizes land power around four elements: convergence, strike, close battle and endurance. To begin the operation, I Corps established convergence by coordinating space, cyber and electronic assets, while theater forces and the 25th Infantry Division executed strikes to disable the simulated enemy’s air defenses. Once those conditions were met, the 11th Airborne Division paratroopers initiated the close battle, jumping into the contested area to seize key infrastructure and secure the terrain.

The rapid projection of airborne forces from the below-freezing temperatures of Alaska to the tropical, archipelagic terrain of Hawaii builds readiness and underscores the U.S. military’s commitment to peace through strength and credible regional deterrence.

Adamczyk explained the deterrence value of the operation’s global reach.

“This exercise demonstrates our ability to rapidly project combat-credible power into an archipelagic environment when called upon,” Adamczyk said. “Because we are the Arctic Airborne division, we can operate in the Pacific [area of responsibility], or we can fly over the pole and be in Northern Europe in eight to nine hours.”

Following the operation in Hawaii, the paratroopers will fly back to Alaska, executing another airborne assault straight into their brigade’s field training exercises in the Richardson Training Area. This demanding training sequence serves as preparation for JPMRC 27-02 in the Donnelly Training Area in interior Alaska this February, where the 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) will face temperatures that often drop to 40 degrees below zero.

While the primary training audience of JPMRC 27-01 remains the 2nd Mobile Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, the integration of the 11th Airborne Division adds a robust joint and multi-division dimension to the Combat Training Center rotation without distracting from the brigade’s focus. The rotation brings together approximately 10,000 personnel across the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, alongside international allies and partners. By participating, the 11th Airborne Division exercises cross-division coordination with the 25th Infantry Division and improves joint interoperability.

Ultimately, Arctic Aloha reinforces the 11th Airborne Division’s posture as a lethal, survivable and rapidly deployable force that provides the Joint Force and USARPAC with a decisive, flexible response option to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.

By MAJ Ian Roth

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ANNISTON, Ala. — Fifteen teams of highly trained Green Berets representing units across 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) arrived in Alabama with five days to prove how effectively they could integrate rapidly evolving technology into complex tactical problems. When the competition ended, Soldiers representing 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) came out on top.

1st SFG(A) earned top honors during the first-ever 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) Best Drone Team Competition, held Aug. 24-28 at Fort McClellan and Clarke Range Complex in Alabama. Through the five days of competition, teams navigated a series of tactical problem sets, including rural and urban lanes designed to challenge how competitors integrated small, unmanned aircraft systems into realistic operational scenarios. For 1st SFG(A), the story of the competition began before a drone ever left the ground.

Prior to the event, 1st SFG(A) identified an Operational Detachment Alpha, their equipment requirements, and began conducting training on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. Through the planning and training cycle the ODA identified gaps in capabilities, and staff across the group worked to push last-minute procurements to place the required equipment into the hands of the operators. The effect of that effort was not lost on the team.

“We wouldn’t have been successful without the last-minute procurements group pushed through for us,” the team sergeant said following the competition.

That connection between operators identifying a requirement and an organization responding quickly enough to meet it reflects a challenge extending far beyond a single competition.

Unmanned systems are evolving rapidly, and so are the ways Soldiers employ them. Maintaining an advantage increasingly requires formations to identify what works, resource it quickly, develop proficiency, test it under realistic conditions and distribute what they learn before either the technology or the threat changes again. The Best Drone Team Competition was designed with that process in mind.

Participating organizations fielded both Special Forces operational teams and robotics-focused elements, bringing together unmanned systems practitioners, tactical leaders and key staff elements from across 1st SFC(A). The competition served as an opportunity to exchange tactics, techniques and procedures, and drive proficiency across the formation.

A drone alone does not create a tactical advantage. Its value depends on the ability of Soldiers to understand its capabilities, recognize where it fits within a larger operational problem and employ it effectively alongside the other tools available to them.

Teams were evaluated not only by their ability to fly unmanned aircraft, but on their ability to solve problems. Competitors had to adapt to changing conditions, determine how available systems could support their objectives and integrate those capabilities into tactical decision-making.

For 1st SFG(A), while winning the competition validated the proficiency of the Soldiers who competed, what happens after the competition will prove even more important. In post-competition guidance, Col. Ronald J. Hudak, commander of 1st SFG(A), described the competitors as “good people taking disciplined initiative and getting results.”

His guidance quickly moved beyond recognizing the accomplishment and toward determining how the Group could capture and distribute what its Soldiers had learned.

The competitors’ experience will now help inform future training across 1st SFG(A), with efforts focused on sharing lessons and best practices, developing hands on instructional products and examining options for increasing baseline tactical unmanned-systems proficiency throughout the formation. The goal is not simply to maintain a handful of highly skilled drone operators; it is to make their knowledge transferable.

“These are some of our best [Soldiers],” said Brig. Gen. Joseph Wortham, commander of 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne), “they stare at the [unmanned systems] problem day in and day out and they do so in a very tangible, tactical way.”

The result was a first-place finish, but that is only the most visible outcome. The more enduring measure of success will be what happens when the lessons brought home from Alabama move beyond the Soldiers who earned it.

As 1st SFG(A) incorporates their experience into training across the formation, an achievement belonging to one team can become knowledge shared across many. In an operating environment where technology can change faster than traditional training and acquisition cycles, the ability to identify a need, resource it, learn quickly and adapt may ultimately matter far more than any place on a leader board.

By SSG Dwayne Bryant

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INDIANAPOLIS — Army Gen. Christopher LaNeve, vice chief of staff of the Army and acting chief of staff, emphasized the Guard’s indispensable, multidomain contributions to the joint force at home and abroad during an annual National Guard conference in Indianapolis Aug. 29.

Referencing the Army’s newly released strategy document, the Army Azimuth, LaNeve stressed the Guard’s essential role across all three Army priorities: defending the homeland, warfighting and projecting power on and from the land.

“You carry a heavy load of defending the homeland, whether that manifests in Joint Task Force Southern Border, D.C. Safe and Beautiful, or response efforts aligned with national disasters,” LaNeve said.

LaNeve thanked the National Guard for its ongoing support of D.C. Safe and Beautiful — a mission that has brought nearly 10,000 Guardsmen from around the country to support local and federal law enforcement efforts aimed at restoring order in the nation’s capital. As a result, Guardsmen have removed more than 1,400 illegal firearms from local streets, conducted more than 860 medical assistance interventions, administered naloxone to more than 375 people experiencing suspected overdoses and reunited more than 44 minors with their families.

“When I think about the National Guard, I think of individuals who are truly part of their communities, faces that folks recognize and can directly associate with service,” LaNeve said. “That’s a powerful force for good in our nation.”

As a young brigade operations officer, LaNeve witnessed the Guard’s tenacity in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. His unit conducted a relief in place, or RIP, for the Louisiana National Guard’s 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in Iraq, whose Soldiers were serving their final weeks of deployment when one of the worst hurricanes in decades devastated their home state.

“The professionalism they displayed during that RIP will always, always stay with me,” LaNeve said. “In the face of absolute worry, they did not falter.”

That same professionalism and tenacity, LaNeve said, is rooted in Soldier fundamentals.

Returning to a “warrior mindset” across the force is critical for maintaining the Army’s position as the world’s most dominant land power. LaNeve outlined this as going back to the basics of rigorous physical training, knowing the mission-essential tasks associated with their military specialty and preparing their equipment.

“Each of us has a moral obligation to our nation and the Soldiers we serve to become the strongest, most lethal and most ready version of ourselves possible,” LaNeve said. “We must care about the basics today to keep our Soldiers alive on the battlefield tomorrow.”

With four Guard mobile brigades scheduled to conduct combat readiness exercises in fiscal year 2027 and Guardsmen currently serving in the U.S. Central Command area of operations, embracing a warrior mindset is more critical than ever, he said.

“You are in the fight.”

LaNeve praised the Virginia National Guard’s 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, or IBCT, as the first Army National Guard brigade to participate in a Joint Readiness Training Center rotation ahead of the Army’s plans to convert 25 Army National Guard IBCTs to the mobile BCT structure by the end of fiscal year 2028.

“You are a critical part of our ability to be postured to respond immediately to crises and contingencies both at home and abroad,” he said.

Operation Epic Fury demonstrated how the Army remains the foundation of the joint force, he said. While the operation may appear to center on air power and a blockade, the Army — including the Army National Guard — has continued to provide critical warfighting functions in theater.

He cited the New York-based 42nd Infantry Division, which led Task Force Spartan and provided tactical mission command for land forces from February to May, and the Kansas National Guard’s 130th Field Artillery Brigade, which transitioned from supporting Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve to serving as the field artillery headquarters for U.S. Central Command forces and executed one of the longest deep field artillery strikes in Army history.

“You are a powerful part of our ability to project power on and from the land,” LaNeve said. “The National Guard generates combat-credible formations and helps strengthen the capacity of our allies and partners through the State Partnership Program.”

The Department of War’s National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program now encompasses 117 partnerships, connecting states, territories and Washington, D.C., with partner nations in every geographic combatant command.

LaNeve highlighted the Washington National Guard and Malaysia, which have partnered since 2017, for their recent weeklong working group focused on developing expeditionary amphibious capabilities and logistics planning.

“We must position ourselves favorably left of conflict, whether that be campaigning, building relationships or forward-basing,” he said. “Through the actions we take today, we are hardening lines of communication and reinforcing the forward areas of the future fight, and you are on the vanguard of this.”

LaNeve also described the Guard’s role in “endurance,” one of four elements of land power outlined in the Azimuth alongside convergence, strike and close battle. Together, they guarantee the Army’s ability to maneuver operationally on the battlefield and to deliver joint all-domain maneuver when integrated into the joint force.

“Endurance is about our ability as an Army to persist,” he said, “to ensure we can maintain posture, protection, projection of power across time, distance, and in the face of an unforgiving and persistent adversary. We use endurance to translate victory on the battlefield to victory in war.”

The Guard’s ability to mobilize helps project power over time and distance, making it essential to the endurance of the Army’s land power. State partnerships build the relationships needed for posture and power projection abroad, and the Guard’s daily contributions to endurance directly support the Army’s ability to conduct operational maneuver, LaNeve said.

“We may have three compos, but we are one Army,” LaNeve told the audience, using a shorthand term for the Army’s active-duty, National Guard and Reserve components. “That Army is the foundation of our joint force.”

By MSG Sarah McClanahan

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CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. – Imagine a car breaking down and having to be transported 7,000 miles for repairs. Now imagine that vehicle is a critical asset needed to keep families and neighbors alive.

For modern warfighters, this logistics bottleneck is not a hypothetical scenario. It is a harsh operational reality known as “the last tactical mile” – the high-stakes battlespace where a military capability is delivered and where its reliability and endurance matter most.

During Operation Iraqi Freedom, a tremendous amount of cargo space on military aircraft was dedicated to moving repair parts forward or retrograding damaged equipment. In a contested near-peer conflict, however, uncontested airlift is not guaranteed. To survive and win on the modern battlefield, units must possess the technical data, tools, and authority to ‘fix forward’ at the point of conflict.

The “Black Box” Vulnerability

Taking the car breakdown example, a step further highlights the inherent risks of “black boxes.” Imagine if instead of being able to replace spark plugs or belts when they fail, all you can do is replace an entire engine. This is reality for maintainers when it comes to proprietary sub-components that only the Original Equipment Manufacturer can test and repair.

Early acquisition decisions frequently trade technical data rights for rapid delivery speed or immediate functionality. While these choices result in short-term acquisition wins, they inevitably create long-term sustainment nightmares. Trapped within proprietary information and supply stovepipes, the system effectively surrenders organic repair capabilities to private defense contractors for the duration of their operational life.

Upon deployment, tactical maintainers encounter modified or non-standard system configurations that they can neither troubleshoot nor repair. This gridlock extends all the way up the sustainment chain. Geographically anchored by costly and numerous OEM test stands and starved of proprietary technical data, organic depots find themselves facing the exact same constraints.

Retaining Rights to Repair/Freedom to Fix

While defense contractors argue that private industry is best suited managing the physical and digital details of complex defense platforms, logistical experts, who have visibility across several weapon platforms, argue that this creates severe operational and financial vulnerabilities.

Without sustainable maintenance pipelines, high-tech weapon systems quickly become liabilities. This vulnerability is especially acute for low-density, high-variety fleets that lack strategic spare parts, face complex modernization efforts, and suffer from extended repair cycle times.

Because the military unit — not the defense contractor — is evaluated on operational readiness and system reliability, any gaps between acquisition and sustainment are ultimately paid for with a decrease in combat power and readiness.

LEAD’s Digital Engineering Solution

To bridge this gap, LEAD is establishing a comprehensive engineering services framework for its customers. LEAD’s configuration management team works with product offices to organize all available technical information and define the baseline configuration within Windchill, an organic Product Lifecycle Management system. This baseline serves as the foundation for all sourcing, tracking, modernization, and decommissioning decisions.

While depots are not configuration managers, utilizing LEAD as a centralized hub ensures sustainment experts are integrated into the decision-making loop alongside community subject matter experts. This baseline technical data includes:

• Component attributes and engineering models
• Repair and theory of operation data
• System test documentation and effectivity records
• Parent-child assembly relationships, parts lists, and sourcing alternates

During any maintenance cycle at the depot, artisans create a digital twin of each asset as it is being built. These digital twins organize vast amounts of technical data into an intuitive and interactive owner’s manual of what will be delivered. The twin doesn’t just show what the parts are, but how they are routed throughout the system and how they connect and interact with each other. These twins serve to better connect warfighters and depot SMEs through a common operating picture during forward deployed operations.

The final phase of this digital rollout will make these digital twins fully interactive. By incorporating cyber secure physical sensors into fielded equipment, the Army can capture real-time material failures and eliminate contrived durability or planned obsolescence. The government would now have all the information necessary to place strategic spares and plan field upgrades. This continuous feedback loop eliminates the “dirty ledger” data mismatch (where physical configurations don’t match the digital databases) that typically plagues physical systems and their digital records.

This government-owned digital thread provides a single, continuous and traceable data pipeline that starts with configuration lock and utilizes a change management process to connect acquisition and sustainment throughout the lifecycle. When all phases are deployed the Army’s priorities become the only consideration for acquiring, modernizing, modifying, and repairing warfighter equipment.

Sustaining on the Tactical Edge

LEAD engineers and technicians have 80+ years of demonstrated commitment to supporting the warfighter. Reimagining the space beyond the depot gates and between maintenance intervals is just another example of how LEAD remains relevant and innovative. By pushing technical expertise directly to the tactical edge, LEAD extends equipment operational life, minimizes down-time, and directly increases the combat readiness of forward-deployed forces.

Just as you wouldn’t ship a broken car 7,000 miles for repairs, LEAD’s comprehensive engineering framework equips our warfighters to complete the mission efficiently and effectively right where they are.

——————–

Kate Williams serves as Letterkenny Army Depot’s Director of Strategic Management.

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on Saturday, September 5th, 2026 at 17:00 and is filed under Army, Guest Post.
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FORT BENNING, Ga. — Maneuver Battle Lab Soldiers and capability developers gathered at McKenna Field Landing Site July 27 to Aug. 7 to assess modern tethered unmanned aircraft systems — known as Te-UAS — designed to give maneuver units the ability to overcome terrain limitations and conduct persistent reconnaissance, surveillance and extended communications.

Designed and executed by the MBL in collaboration with the Air Robotics, Dismounted Requirements Branch, Requirements Division, Maneuver Future Capability Directorate and Product Lead Strategic Spectrum Warfare, the assessment put two commercial Te-UAS capability surrogates through static, on-the-move and emergency scenarios.

During the trial, the tethered drones climbed to operationally relevant altitudes. The MBL timed ascent and retraction speeds and assessed the system’s “follow-mode” as the Te-UAS tracked above an Infantry Squad Vehicle-Utility maneuvering through the training area. Moving between designated target reference points, operators bounced communications over terrain obstacles, bypassed signal jamming and spotted targets from safe distances.

A tethered unmanned aerial system (Te-UAS) soars above the tree line while moving above an Infantry Squad Vehicle-Utility (ISV-U) during a Maneuver Battle Lab (MBL) assessment at Fort Benning, Ga., Aug. 6, 2026. MBL Soldiers maneuvered the drones at various altitudes to measure the technology against the Army’s performance standards.

“The Maneuver Battle Lab’s mission is experimentation,” said Tollie Strode Jr., government oversight lead for the assessment and unmanned systems team chief at the MBL. “We take technology to the field, employ it in an operational context, look under the hood, kick the tires and report what we find to inform programmatic decisions.”

Unlike traditional free-flying drones that are limited by internal power supplies and require battery swaps, the Te-UAS receives continuous power and exchanges data through its physical tether, allowing it to remain airborne and provide capability to the force indefinitely.

“This is a great opportunity for long-endurance mission sets,” said Capt. Sarah Runion, MBL Live Experimentation Branch executive officer and assessment participant. “Tethered UAS bring a lot of pros to the force: we don’t have to worry about battery life or anything like that, which you see on other drones. It can go through different levels of height, and it can follow you along on whatever platform you deem it on.”

Another feature under evaluation was the system’s simple operational design, which allows users to deploy the Te-UAS rapidly without extensive specialized training.

“In a matter of minutes, I was able to get [the drone] launched up in the air … and then it’s a quick, easy one-step button to bring it back down,” said Runion. “This has been a user-friendly experience.”

Mark Pagliaro, a Product Lead Strategic Spectrum Warfare contractor, compared the setup to a portable, elevated sensor suite for a maneuver unit.

“It’s similar to a very high tower,” Pagliaro said. “Having a sensor up that high in their [area of operations] is going to influence [the maneuver unit] and allow them to extend ranges and see targets farther.”

Pagliaro added that the simple deployment is “pretty much hands-off,” freeing the user to focus on incoming camera feeds and data rather than piloting the aircraft.

Following the field iterations, the MBL compiles Soldier feedback, technical performance data and operational footprint details into a comprehensive final report. This package provides vital data for leaders to determine whether the Army should purchase the technology.

“When we develop a clear concept of operation and employment, it gives us credibility behind the numbers and information we provide to decision-makers,” Strode said. “It answers the ‘so what?’ and provides the essential analytical underpinning to determine if this technology should transition into a permanent Army program of record.”

By Maddy Gonzalez

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on Saturday, September 5th, 2026 at 00:00 and is filed under Army, Drone, Guest Post.
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WASHINGTON — The Department of the Army is announcing today that the Janus Program has selected five nuclear energy vendors, and five initial locations.

In partnership with the Department of War Innovation Unit (DIU), the Army is awarding up to a combined $2.2 billion to own, construct, and operate nuclear microreactors on military installations.  These vendors will deliver safe, secure, and reliable nuclear power, strengthening the Army’s ability to project power globally, while supporting the revitalization of American industrial capacity and technological leadership. With the private sector funding expected along with these government dollars, the Army expects more than 20 total nuclear microreactors will be built and operated across Department of War installations.

The five selected vendors and installations are as follows:

Antares Nuclear, Inc. – Fort Bragg, North Carolina

BWXT Advanced Technologies, LLC – Fort Campbell, Kentucky

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems – Fort Hood, Texas

Radiant Industries, Inc. – Fort Benning, Georgia

Westinghouse Government Services – Fort Drum, New York

“Since launching the Janus Program, our mandate from President Trump and Secretary Hegseth has been clear: secure the power our warfighters need to train, deploy and win,” said Dan Driscoll, Secretary of the Army. “Awarding these contracts accelerates our ability to deliver safe, reliable baseload power directly to our installations. We are building the energy resilience necessary to project combat power globally, without relying on potentially vulnerable external grids.”

“The Janus Program is grabbing the baton from Project Pele and the [Department of Energy’s] Reactor Pilot Program,” said Dr. Jeff Waksman, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment. “We are seeking not just reactors capable of turning on for a brief demonstration, but rather systems able to deliver power with high-capacity factors for years of operation. The Janus Program will be a complete success when and only when we have assisted multiple nuclear companies in developing truly reliable and affordable nuclear microreactors which they can sell to other buyers beyond just the military.”

After gathering technical and operational information from industry via an Area of Interest released by DIU, the Army down-selected potential industry awardees for negotiation of Other Transactions Authority-based agreements. A decision board and panel of top nuclear and technical experts from the Department of Energy, national laboratories and representatives across the services provided deeply rigorous input on the technical risks, financial situation, and management capabilities of the solutions. The close collaboration with technical experts and service representatives ensured selected vendors would provide solutions to enhance energy resilience for specific operational needs at military installations.

“When DOE created an authorization pathway for the demonstration of advanced reactor designs, we quickly began to realize how valuable these technologies could be for fortifying our national defense infrastructure,” said Assistant Secretary of Nuclear Energy Ted Garrish. “We are honored to work in lockstep with the Army to leverage nuclear energy innovation in support of our country’s military operations at home and abroad.”

The alignment of these vendors with Army installations represents the culmination of a year-long effort to evaluate and prioritize installations based on a multitude of factors from energy needs to seismic and hydrological considerations, all with a primary focus on safety. As the Janus Program moves forward, it is intended that these vendors will also site nuclear technologies on other service installations for continued energy resilience across the entire DOW. Additional Army and other Service sites will be announced at a later date. The Army continues to drive towards the September 2028 target outlined in President Trump’s Executive Order 14299 for operation of a first reactor, regulated by the Army, on a military installation.

“The Army is leading the nation in its return to nuclear preeminence via the Janus Program,” said Jason Craft, Janus Program manager. “Our selected industry awardees represent the most viable technologies to achieve this capability, setting conditions for both installation energy resilience and operational energy solutions.”

Using a milestone-based payment model, vendors will receive government funding only after successfully hitting specific technical goals. This investment model brings together approximately $2.2 billion across FY2027-2031 along with significant capital investment from each vendor. This technology development model will speed up the delivery of next-generation energy solutions to the warfighter and promote innovation while ensuring accountability. The prototype reactors will be contractor-owned and operated.

“We need more power. We need it delivered faster and cheaper, and we need it to be more reliable,” said Owen West, director, DIU. “With Janus, DIU is assisting the Army’s micro reactor build — speeding military energy production to protect the nation.”

Collaboration with utility providers is essential to the success of Army’s nuclear power strategy and the Janus Program. The Army will work closely with serving utilities and privatized utility providers on the Janus Program to ensure the best possible outcomes. The Army also invites continued collaboration with utilities both now and in the future on utility-scale, grid-facing power generation opportunities sited on Army installations.

“The Army’s Janus Program has my full support, said Emil Michael, the War Department’s Chief Technology Officer. “The War Department is acting swiftly to implement President Trump’s Executive Order, Deploying Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technologies for National Security, to deploy a nuclear reactor on a military installation by September 2028. We are unleashing America’s domestic nuclear industrial base to ensure a more resilient and secure energy supply for the joint force.”

Reliable energy underpins national defense. The down-selection to these five vendors represents a critical step forward in securing the operational readiness of our forces. The Army is committed to fortifying the defense and strength of the nation now and for future generations.

U.S. Army Communication and Outreach Office

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on Monday, August 31st, 2026 at 00:00 and is filed under Army, Contracts, Power, Press Release.
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