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Unmanned Systems

Threat of Small Drones Rises to Level of First Use of IEDs in Iraq, CENTCOM Commander Says

Frank Wolfe

Monday, February 8th, 2021

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Threat of Small Drones Rises to Level of First Use of IEDs in Iraq, CENTCOM Commander Says

To help combat the small drone threat to U.S. bases, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) developed the Tactical High-power Operational Responder (THOR) with contractors, including Leidos (Leidos Photo)

The growing threat of small drone systems to deployed U.S. and allied forces in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility is similar to the inception of terrorist groups' use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq more than 15 years ago, the head of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Feb. 8. CENTCOM Marine Gen. Kenneth McKenzie told the Middle East Insitute (MEI) during a kickoff address to the first annual MEI-CENTCOM conferene that a long-term technical concern for…

Congress

House Republicans’ Blueprint For Reconciliation 3.0 Includes $60 Billion For Defense

House Republicans on Wednesday unveiled a blueprint for a third reconciliation bill that includes $60 billion for defense, a figure slightly below the Trump administration’s request to cover Iran war […]

Congress

Senate Dems Block Consideration Of FY ‘27 NDAA Over Iran War Concerns

Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked a vote to advance consideration of the chamber’s $1.14 trillion fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization (NDAA). The procedural vote was 46-50, failing to reach […]

Congress

Concerns Raised At SASC Hearing On Unobligated Reconciliation Funds And Lack Of Updates On Iran War Cost

Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) raised concerns at a hearing on Tuesday about the majority of funds in the $153 billion first reconciliation bill being unobligated thus […]

Unmanned Systems

CBO Says Upfront Costs To Protect Military Installations From Drones Between $1 Million And $74 Million

The initial costs to acquire and deploy counter-small unmanned aircraft system (C-sUAS) defenses at individual Defense Department installations are estimated at between $1.2 million and $73.6 million depending on the […]