Download the full release here: No.26-1170, From Technical Skill to Tactical Advantage (May 26).pdf [PDF - 1.8 MB]

Introduction

Although technology does not create competence, disciplined practice over many iterations does. For the small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS)-integrated air operator team, technical proficiency in rapid preparation, launch, recovery, and field troubleshooting forms the nonnegotiable foundation. These skills are critical, yet they represent only the first layer of tactical competency. The defining measure of an sUAS-integrated scout section is its ability to break contact under any form of compromise—be it lethal or nonlethal—while simultaneously preserving reconnaissance continuity and its freedom of maneuver.

This article provides a framework of best practices observed at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC) for achieving this level of tactical mastery. Although the examples are based on scout sections, all sUAS teams can adopt these principles to improve their tactical employment and survivability. The article details how to best integrate technical sUAS skills into rehearsed battle drills that turn the platform into a decisive advantage during contact. This article will explore how to retain freedom of maneuver by using the sUAS to cue threats and inform egress routes, enabling the section to disengage cleanly rather than becoming decisively engaged. Furthermore, this article establishes that an sUAS team can achieve continuous reconnaissance not by holding ground, but through deliberate displacement, pairing every tactical action with immediate movement to manage signature and maintain the element of surprise. To achieve this, this article outlines specific, synchronized air-ground break-contact drills, including immediate sUAS suppression techniques and the use of claymore mines to create the critical window of opportunity needed for the ground element to move, survive, and continue the reconnaissance fight. Ultimately, this article demonstrates how to transform the sUAS from a simple observation platform into a fully integrated enabler of reconnaissance fundamentals—the ability to disrupt, displace, and continue observing.