Defense One reported the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Multi-Functional Reconnaissance Company put some of the lessons American war planners have learned about fighting modern wars with drones to the test during a recent combat exercise at Fort Johnson in Louisiana.
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A company only formed in March 2024
The 101st Airborne's Multi-Functional Reconnaissance Company is a fairly new unit in the airborne formation, it was only launched in March 2024, and it is just one of 3 similar units that have been formed across the entire U.S. Army.
Photo Credit: Screenshot X @101stAASLTDIV
Testing new technologies on the battlefield
The Multi-Functional Reconnaissance Company, or MFRC, has been tasked with testing out new battlefield technologies in real-world conditions so the military can develop new doctrines to help units adapt to changing battlefield realities.
Photo Credit: Screenshot X @101stAASLTDIV
The U.S. Army’s transforming initiatives
“As part of the Army's transformation initiatives,” the 101st Airborne Division explained on its social media channels in April when it released a video about the unit. “The Multi-functional Reconnaissance Company (MFRC) is a newly structured unit within 2BCT, 101st ABD (AA).”
Photo Credit: Screenshot X @101stAASLTDIV
The unit uses a wide array of weapons
The 101st Airborne went on to add that the MFRC would “use a wide array of emerging technologies and tactics to be the standard for battlefield reconnaissance.” Many of these new technologies issued to the unit were on display at Fort Johnson.
Photo Credit: Screenshot X @101stAASLTDIV
Testing the latest tech at Fort Johnson
Defense One spent five days watching the MFRC use its new technology against an enemy force codenamed Geronimo across 250,000 acres of forest, and while the kills in the exercise may have been imaginary, the effectiveness of the new unit was not.
Photo Credit: Screenshot X @101stAASLTDIV
What does the MFRC have in its arsenal?
The MFRC is equipped with “commercial drones, counter-drone tech, electronic warfare tools, command and control software, deception equipment, hyper-mobile vehicles, and more,” according to Defense One, and this tech helped inflict some serious damage at Fort Johnson.
Photo Credit: Screenshot X @101stAASLTDIV
The exercise provided to be very effective
MFRC soldiers were able to destroy 29 pieces of Geronimo’s military equipment after a group of troops landed by helicopter on the battlefield according to MFRC Commander, Captain Charlie O’Hagan.
Photo Credit: Screenshot X @101stAASLTDIV
Directing strikes against enemy equipment
The 101st Airborne’s newest unit used drones to direct High Mobility Rocket Artillery fire and other indirect fire at enemy equipment. “Gone are the days of having to get close and put a soldier right in harm's way,” O’Hagan said according to Defense One.
Photo Credit: Screenshot X @101stAASLTDIV
Leveraging new tech to reduce risks
“We want to leverage this equipment to reduce risk to force,” O’Hagan added. However, the exercise didn’t come without its problems. Defense One reported soldiers often had to troubleshoot issues and uncovered a host of issues with some of its key weapons.
Photo Credit: Screenshot X @101stAASLTDIV
The U.S. Army was influenced by Ukraine©Provided by The Daily Digest
The U.S. Army’s new doctrines and weapons have been heavily influenced by the lessons the world has learned from drone warfare that has taken place in Ukraine according toMajor General Brett Sylvia, Commander of the 101st Airborne Division.
There are a lot of lessons to be learned©Provided by The Daily Digest
“There's so many lessons to be able to take from [the Ukrainians], and a lot of it does come down to the integration of new things, like the proliferation of [drones],”Sylvia said according to Defense One.
The Pentagon is overhauling the military©Provided by The Daily Digest
In February 2024, the Pentagon revealed it was planning to overhaul and revise the U.S. military’s playbook from one designed for counterterrorism operations to one a doctrine that will prepare US armed forces for larger conflicts against near-peer adversaries like Russia and China according to The Washington Post.
The makeup of the MFRC today
The MFRC is a good example of how the U.S. Army is trying to adapt to the new reality of modern war. The unit consists of 5 platoons which include 3 reconnaissance platoons, one drone and electronic warfare platoon, and one platoon that handles the operation of autonomous ground drones as well as other robotic and autonomous systems.
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Photo Credit: Screenshot X @101stAASLTDIV
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