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Oklahoma National Guardsmen tested their ability to survive and fight on a battlefield shaped by unmanned aerial systems Sept. 13 during Exercise Thunderstruck 2.0 at Camp Gruber Training Center, Oklahoma.
During the exercise, a platoon of Soldiers left a tree line and assaulted a trench system defended by opposing forces — all while small drones circled overhead, allowing the opposing forces to see the advance and drop tennis balls as mock munitions on maneuvering troops.
Guard leaders said the training marked a significant step in preparing forces for a rapidly evolving battlespace where low-cost drones are reshaping the pace and character of combat, as seen on battlefields in Ukraine.
The exercise was also the culmination of years of development within the Guard’s unmanned aircraft system and counter-UAS program.
“We are showcasing the work we’ve done over the past couple years for the Oklahoma National Guard UAS, counter-UAS program,” said Lt. Col. Brent Hill, the director of the counter-UAS and launched effects program with the Oklahoma Guard. “It’s a combined effort, a big collaboration to try to make this happen.”
For those on the ground, the scenario was an opportunity to adapt their small-unit tactics to a threat environment defined by aerial surveillance and precision strikes from small drones.
“The big thing is just remaining as covered and concealed in the tree line as possible,” Staff Sgt. Jace Burger, a squad leader with the Oklahoma Army Guard’s C Company, 1st Battalion, 279th Infantry Regiment, adding that his Soldiers were ready for the task.
“I think it’s actually pretty exciting. I’ve never really done an attack like this against drones,” he said. “It really looks like this is the future of warfare.”
As they advanced, Burger and his unit used their own drones to scout ahead.
That “eye in the sky” capability allowed them “to see the objective before we actually get there, [and] give us early warning signs on enemy activity,” he said.
Senior leaders said that kind of mindset — adapting to new threats while under pressure —is exactly what Thunderstruck aimed to instill.
“This is very needed because we found looking at modern warfare – for instance, in Ukraine –they’re using tens of thousands of small, first-person FPV [first-person view] drones,” said Maj. Gen. Thomas Mancino, the adjutant general of the Oklahoma.
“And I need to make sure that my Soldiers are aware of this threat and that we can develop the technologies, the techniques and the procedures to counter that threat,” he added.
That also has spurred changes in how troops maneuver and fight.
“Because of drones’ ability to interdict movement on the battlefield, it’s really slowed everything down and we’ve gotten back to something that looks more like World War I than World War II,” Mancino said, adding that to reflect that reality, the exercise included a trench system based on schematics from systems used in Ukraine.
Thunderstruck is just the start, Hill said. Plans are underway to establish a dedicated UAS range and training complex at Camp Gruber.
—By Master Sgt. Amber Monio, National Guard Bureau
