US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced a new “first-ever multi-domain, multinational attack drone force” on August 13, an important development that builds on other initiatives by CENTCOM in utilizing new drone technology. CENTCOM has been at the forefront of dealing with drone threats for years. Now it is taking the steps necessary in a world increasingly dominated by drone warfare.
In February 2021, US Marine General Kenneth McKenzie, then-commander of CENTCOM), warned that cheap commercial drones were a threat. He used a symbolic argument that these kinds of drones could be acquired “at Costco right now.”
This was after ISIS had used drones in combat. McKenzie was warning about the future.
A year later Russia invaded Ukraine. This led to Ukraine revolutionizing drone technology. Today Ukraine is at the forefront of using drones on the tactical level on the battlefield. The US is also pioneering new efforts and working with regional partners and allies. The new initiative is called Task Force Falcon Strike.
The concept is to use one-way attack drones. These are sometimes called loitering munitions or kamikaze drones. These types of cheap drones are now replacing cruise missiles and more expensive missiles.
The drones enable precision strikes. They are a response to Iran using the Shahed 136 and other one-way attack drones. Iran exported these drones to the Houthis in 2020 and also to Russia.
Now CENTCOM is playing catch-up to some extent. The concept of the new task force is to build on the success of Scorpion Strike which CENTCOM says achieved success by launching the first ever attack drone from a navy warship last December. Falcon Strike builds on that success. CENTCOM head Brad Cooper has long taken the drone threat and also drone innovation seriously.
Hormuz conflict exemplifies drone threat
Over the last several years, CENTCOM has made the Middle East a laboratory for integrating new generations of unmanned systems into military operations.
Rather than viewing drones as niche capabilities, CENTCOM has sought to make them a core part of future warfare, reflecting lessons learned from conflicts in Ukraine, the Red Sea, and the growing use of Iranian drones across the region.
One of the most important developments has been the deployment of the Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (LUCAS), a one-way attack drone designed to provide US forces with an inexpensive, attritable strike capability. This was developed under the Pentagon’s Drone Dominance initiative.
LUCAS, reports have shown, can be launched from ships, vehicles, or ground launchers and is intended to overwhelm enemy air defenses. It means the US is basically using drones that are similar to the Iranian Shahed to strike back.
CENTCOM formed Task Force Scorpion Strike to field the first operational LUCAS squadron in the Middle East, and the drone has been employed both from land and, for the first time, from the littoral combat ship USS Santa Barbara. Littoral combat is a term that describes warfare near coastlines. This is important in the new conflict over the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, the US Navy’s Task Force 59 became the centerpiece of CENTCOM’s experimentation with drone systems. Established under US Naval Forces Central Command, Task Force 59 integrated unmanned surface vessels, aerial drones, artificial intelligence, and other systems to improve maritime operations.
In essence it was another way that CENTCOM pioneered the use of drones, in this case at sea. A sea drone played a key role in rescuing downed pilots earlier this year.
The naval task force has demonstrated how numerous drone vessels can patrol strategic waterways while reducing the use of crewed ships.
Now CENTCOM is getting to the next level with its new initiative. Multinational is a key element here. The naval initiative also used various types of unmanned vessels, including a system developed in Israel. Israel has been a pioneer in drone warfare since the late 1970s.
As such, Israel is a key partner of CENTCOM in these types of future technologies. This also ties into the Abraham Accords. The anniversary of those Accords is now on the minds of some in the region.
Jared Kushner, a key architect of the Accords wrote on social media platform X this week about the importance of the Accords. “Six years ago, President Trump launched the Abraham Accords and opened a new chapter of peace, partnership, and prosperity in the Middle East,” he noted.
“For too long, the region was trapped by old ideas and failed frameworks that managed conflict rather than solved it, and too often created incentives that perpetuated division and instability.”
He added that “the idea behind the Abraham Accords was simple: instead of reinforcing the things that divide people, build bonds that bring them together. Increase understanding. Expand trade and investment. Deepen security cooperation. Create tangible benefits that make people’s lives better and give everyone a stake in peace.”
Ukraine War teaches US important lessons on drone warfare
The drone initiative is an important development is harnessing the capabilities of US allies and partners in the region. It points the way forward in terms of the future of war. It will have ramifications globally. This matters because the US is now learning from Ukraine about drone war.
The Wall Street Journal recently wrote that “US and Ukrainian Forces Went Head-to-Head in an Exercise. Ukraine’s Drones Won.” Another report noted that in the spring of 2026, Ukrainian UAV operators taking part in NATO exercises in Gotland “defeated” Swedish troops in an exercise.
As such, CENTCOM’s push for new drone indicatives is part of how the world is reacting to the drone threat and also the plethora of drones on the battlefield.
