Search

Threat of Small Drones Top Concern for CENTCOM Commander

Threat of Small Drones Top Concern for CENTCOM Commander
Leaders from the Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office enter the portable control center of Air Force Research Laboratory’s Tactical High Power Operational Responder (THOR) to view the system’s drone-killing capabilities on Feb. 11 at Kirtland AFB, N.M. THOR is a prototype directed energy weapon used to disable the electronics in drones, and specifically engineered to counter multiple targets – such as a drone swarm. A number of contractors, including BAE Systems, Verus Research, and Leidos, helped develop THOR (U.S. Air Force Photo)

The threat of small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) is a top concern for the head of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), Marine Gen. Kenneth McKenzie. Two disparate issues--the future of refugees/displaced persons in the CENTCOM area of responsiblity (AoR) and the use of small drones by unfriendly states and non-state actors--"keep me up at night," McKenzie told an American Enterprise Institute (AEI) forum on Apr. 27. Al-Hawl, a camp in northeastern Syria near the Syria-Iraq border, shelters some 60,000 refugees, mostly…

Subscriber-only content. Please log in below.

Not a subscriber or registered user yet?

Please contact us at clientservices@accessintel.com or call us at 888-707-5814 (Monday – Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. and Friday 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET.), to start a free trial, get pricing information, order a reprint, or post an article link on your website.



Congress Updates

U.S. Fighter Fleet Will Expand By 2040 But More Stealth Aircraft Will Mean Less Availability, CBO Says

The number of fighter aircraft in the U.S. military inventory will decline over the next few years before expanding to a greater number than currently, but their availability for operational […]


White House Details ‘Concerns’ With Shipbuilding, Spaced-Based Interceptor Oversight In House’s NDAA

The White House has detailed “a number of concerns” with the newly-passed House version of the next defense policy bill, to include the legislation’s limits on procuring Navy ships built […]


House Narrowly Votes To Pass $1.15 Trillion FY ‘27 NDAA, Blueprint For Reconciliation 3.0

The House on Wednesday narrowly voted to pass its $1.15 trillion version of the fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and a blueprint for a third reconciliation bill […]


Senate Appropriators Press On Supplemental’s Requests Beyond Iran Scope, Hegseth Urges Full Funding

Senate appropriators have pressed Pentagon leadership on the decision to include funds in the Iran war supplemental request for items beyond the current military operation, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth […]