At Least 1 Army Commander Is Learning from Ukraine!

For those who don’t know, the NTC is where Army combat brigades go to train for several months, honing their skills in a mock combat environment. The exercise is designed to mimic real-world scenarios, and units are pitted against each other in a competition to see which one can emerge victorious. This is where the 1st ABCT’s commander, someone who’s clearly not afraid to take risks, decided to shake things up.

First, they realized that electronic warfare is becoming increasingly important on the modern battlefield, so they brought in commercial signal intelligence tools to help them detect and pinpoint enemy signals. This allowed them to create a fake command post, complete with cell phones, Wi-Fi nodes, and even a real radar dish. The idea was to create a decoy that would look like a real command post, just to see how long it would take the opposing forces to figure it out.

The results were eye-opening. The opposing forces, known as the Black Horse unit, were able to jam the fake command post, but it took them a while to realize it was a decoy. This exercise showed just how crucial it is to think creatively and use technology in innovative ways to gain an edge on the battlefield.

The commander also had a bold idea about drone warfare. Instead of worrying about permissions and deconfliction procedures, they decided to just assume the risk and assume the drone was an munition, essentially treating it like a mortar round with a camera attached. This approach allowed them to skirt the bureaucratic red tape that often slows down military operations.

I’m impressed by this commander’s willingness to take risks and think outside the box. While not all units have taken to this new approach, it’s about time someone started challenging the status quo. The military needs to adapt to the rapidly evolving nature of combat, and commanders like this one are leading the way.