How Marine Rifle Squads Plan To Fight Future Wars Dominated By Drones

TWZ | Howard Altman

The U.S. Marine Corps has unveiled its Ground Combat Element 2040 strategy to prepare rifle squads for littoral counter-drone operations in high-threat environments like the Indo-Pacific. Facing ubiquitous threat vectors, small Marine echelons will receive dismounted Organic Counter-small UAS kits alongside 400,000 frangible 5.56mm anti-drone rifle rounds to defeat low-altitude aerial threats.

Lower-echelon survivability requires integrating multi-layered active and passive defense solutions alongside expanded tactical dispersion. To extend organic offensive reach up to 20 kilometers, squads are integrating precision strike systems such as the Neros Archer FPV drone carrying a 2-kilogram payload. Organic fires eliminate squad dependency on air support. Implemented across three phased modernization periods spanning 2026 to 2040, the plan incorporates AI-enabled command structures, human-machine teaming, and resilient squad formations. This doctrinal evolution addresses operational vulnerabilities exposed by drone warfare in Ukraine, ensuring small infantry units maintain tactical initiative against peer competitors.

Comment

Devolving organic precision strike capabilities down to the rifle squad level fundamentally alters lower-echelon command relationships. Incorporating the Neros Archer FPV drone grants small Marine formations independent, 20-kilometer offensive reach without relying on battalion fire direction centres. This shift pushes target identification and strike authorisation directly to squad leaders, accelerating tactical kill chains in contested electromagnetic environments.

This decentralised authority generates severe bandwidth and cognitive friction across tactical communications networks. As multiple frontline elements simultaneously operate non-line-of-sight loitering munitions, higher headquarters lose real-time visibility over local fires. Consequently, the USMC Ground Combat Element 2040 structure risks creating battlefield airspace saturation where uncoordinated squad strikes interfere with joint air-sea integration.

Strategic Question for Discussion

If the USMC Ground Combat Element 2040 delegates 20-kilometer strike authority to rifle squad leaders through platforms like the Neros Archer FPV drone, how can battalion commanders prevent operational airspace clutter without re-imposing centralized fire approval?

The trajectory indicates that managing lower-echelon airspace under Ground Combat Element 2040 will require automated, software-defined deconfliction protocols rather than human command intervention. Delegating kinetic strike authority with the Neros Archer FPV drone suggests that battalion fire direction centers must transition from active clearing houses to passive exception-monitoring hubs. Without algorithmic altitude and corridor management integrated into squad radios, decentralized loitering munitions will inevitably choke tactical airspace during multi-domain engagements.

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