Ukraine is reshaping the armored battlefield. The US Army is trying to keep up.
Military Times • • nation
Key Points:
- Spc. Lathan Thomley, originally enlisted as a cavalry scout, now trains extensively on a laptop simulator before piloting reconnaissance drones at Fort Stewart as part of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team’s Transformation in Contact (TIC) initiative.
- The TIC program empowers junior soldiers to experiment with new drone technologies and influence Army doctrine from the ground up, reflecting lessons learned from the conflict in Ukraine about battlefield surveillance and maneuvering.
- Soldiers begin training on commercial drone simulators like Liftoff, progressing to real drone flights, marking a shift from traditional Army training models that rely on formal schoolhouses and standardized programs.
- The TIC initiative allows selected brigades to test emerging technologies such as drones and electronic warfare tools
