Department of Defense

Question for the CSEL

With the current war going on in Ukraine, given new tactics with FPV (First Person View) drones, when or what capabilities are the US Army developing and when do you realistically see the those coming to HIARNG?

Answer

Good question.  – I will try to summarize as best as possible:

One of GEN George’s (Army CoS) focus areas is continuous transformation. A line of effort within that focus area is transformation in contact (TiC).

TiC 1.0 began in 2024 with three COMPO 1 IBCTs. They are wrapping up their “AAR” of what works and what doesn’t (force structure, commercial off the shelf equipment, etc.)  TiC 2.0 has started with two Division HQs, two ABCTs, two SBCTs, and additional units in the USAR/ARNG. I do not know who the ARNG units are yet.

TiC 2.0 includes a big focus on C-UAS. There are multiple commercial off the shelf C-UAS platforms available – kinetic, signal interference, combination, etc. As you can imagine, all are very expensive and require somewhat robust maintenance packages.

You can expect to see documented changes (PAX, EQP, etc) to the IBCT as early as OCT 2025. Keep in mind that COMPO 1 will adjust first with COMPO 2 and 3 following.

Regarding capabilities for drones, the Army has picked Anduril Industries and Performance Drone Works to provide SUAS to units. For CUAS, I am unsure on who the Army will go with.

Hope this helps clarify the big picture. Let me know if any specific questions about this topic.

Aloha

CSM Brandon Kumalae

Hawaiʻi National Guard

Command Senior Enlisted Leader