US Army to modernize forces with autonomous drones & ‘Internet of things’

In an effort to compete with more technologically advanced forces, the US Army is investing in new programs to develop autonomous drones and create a network of battlefield devices that communicate with each other.

In March, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) released a report that found the US Army has fallen behind other technologically advanced states after spending nearly two decades fighting technologically inferior adversaries in the Middle East.

The report specifically mentions Russia, which has invested heavily in anti-access / area denial (A2/AD) technologies that are able to block communications in certain areas.

“There are regions in Donbass where no electromagnetic communications – including radio, cell phone, and television – work,” the CSIS report reads, according to Defense One. “Electronic warfare is the single largest killer of Ukrainian systems by jamming either the controller or GPS signals.”

In order to counter these technological advancements, Philip Perconti, director of the Army Research Lab, told Defense One the Army is investing in two new research programs that will modernize their forces.