MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va -- In a direct response to evolving battlefield threats and critical personnel and infrastructures, the U.S. Marine Corps has conducted an expedited fielding and training approach for its Organic-Counter Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (O-CsUAS) dismounted equipment across the Fleet Marine Force. This initiative represents a significant step in rapid technology adoption, moving a critical defense capability from the development pipeline directly into the hands of the warfighter.
The O-CsUAS delivers man-portable systems that provide Marines of any Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) the ability to detect, track, identify and defeat group 1-2 sUAS using kinetic and non-kinetic effects. This is a short-range self-defense capability for small units, and the effectors can be integrated with the M4 rifle, offering seamless support for military, defense, and security operations to detect threats and provide cues.
The fielding of O-CsUAS dismounted equipment addresses a known vulnerability: the proliferation of cheap, easily weaponized small drones. The delivery of dismounted C-UAS kits will provide a tangible increase in the operational readiness and survivability of Marines across the service.
The operation is being driven by an urgent need to outpace adversaries. Program Manager Gound Based Air Defense (PM GBAD) is executing an accelerated acquisition and training model, exemplified by the New Equipment Training (NET) recording currently underway at MCB Quantico.
“This isn’t a future concept,” explained Dana Rodgers, product manager for O-CsUAS within PM GBAD, “it's the rapid delivery of necessary tools to keep pace with current threats. The expedited fielding and concurrent release of virtual training offers Marines immediate training, and continued access to the training materials to maintain familiarity with the systems. Marines will be more lethal and better protected from sUAS the moment equipment is fielded. Our goal is to ensure that the acquisition process is as agile as the threats our force faces to support our Marines wherever they are – no matter what.”
This event collapses the traditional timeline between production and operational use to only a few months.
“To do the fielding and the training simultaneously is pushing towards a new era for the Marine Corps,” said Lance Cpl. Bryen Martinez with Marine Corps Base Quantico Security Battalion. “We have entered a more advanced, modern-day war. This equipment, and the ability to continuously learn on it, will help Marine's employ the system’s lethality, giving us a higher survivability rate.”
The simultaneous fielding and training of O-CsUAS dismounted systems showcases a clear example of the Marine Corps’ doctrinal shift towards embracing and rapidly integrating technological advancements throughout the force.
The success of this training and fielding effort is measured by the immediate delivery of functional, life-saving equipment that enhances Marine Corps readiness. “After training on this equipment, I have more faith that the Marines to my right and left have a higher chance of making it home at the end of the day,” Martinez stated.
Over the coming months, the Marine Corps will have an equipped and fully prepared cadre of operators for O-CsUAS, which demonstrates that rapid innovation is no longer just an objective, but a core component of the U.S. Marine Corps warfighting readiness.