With its line of sight focused on the looming threat of Iran, the Pentagon has escalated the intensity and intricacy of its budding Saudi-based counter-drone probe. This marks the first time integrated, ground-based interceptors are aligned with the military endeavours of a Middle Eastern nation.
Diplomats and soldiers, some 600 strong, hailing from both the US and Saudi military factions convened last week at the colossal King Khalid Military City’s Shamal-2 range, situated in the sparse desert land north of Riyadh. They had gathered for the latest exposure to counter-drone warfare, coined Red Sands, devised by US Central Command.
This was the second assembly of such scale and caliber since the inception of the Red Sands series in March. A clear symbol of the Biden administration’s commitment to fortifying the defensive prowess of the kingdom, even as currents of human rights abuse allegations by Saudi security forces unsettle the alliance.
The most recent Red Sands exercise wrote a series of firsts into its logbooks, as divulged by Col. Robert A. McVey, director of Red Sands Integrated Experimentation Center, when he engaged in dialogue with Al-Monitor.
“We’ve been engaged in a 16-month long partnership, working to build a stronger counter-UAS [unmanned aircraft system] strategy with our Saudi allies.” said McVey. “One key benchmark for success in this exercise was the relentless pursuit of drones, from sunrise to sunset.”
US servicemen, equipped with an arsenal ranging from 5.56 rifle rounds to precision-guided missiles, collaborated to deploy a melded barrage of Stinger and Hellfire missiles, 30-millimeter guns, Coyote interceptors, and more against simulated drone attacks. Apache helicopters from the US and Saudi Arabia together with Saudi F-15s mirrored this dedication from above.
Integrated civilian and military command platforms employed a smartphone app named “Carpe Dronum” to feed real-time drone activity data during the live-fire drill.
One innovative implementation by the US Army’s Task Force 39 involved an autonomous vehicle – aptly showcasing its usefulness in resupplying ground-based interceptors amidst a stimulated drone attack onslaught.
McVey explained, “We intend to integrate the autonomous vehicle system across the entirety of the CENTCOM region.”
The joint force also made use of AI-enhanced command-and-control systems, guiding the collective force of ground-based interceptors as they worked to neutralize a simulated drone swarm – a shared first-time achievement.
This endeavor, established as a medium for scrutinizing new and real-world weapons systems in the race against adversaries’ progress in drone warfare, also serves a dual purpose – it underscores to Gulf states the US’s dedication to standing up to rival Iran’s substantial missile and drone reserves.
In an April report, Al-Monitor divulged CENTCOM’s plan to engage AI-backed command and control nodes, pooling the power of ground-based counter-drone interceptors to engage multi-drone swarms.
Ever cautious, McVey refrained from commenting on any particular details, commenting that the initiative is a collaborative effort with the US Army Development Command’s armaments division.
He further reiterated how the integration of multiple ground-based anti-drone systems through such a platform enhances an AI-centred forward approach.
The Pentagon’s counter-small-drone division, looking ahead to a 2024 drone-swarm neutralization demonstration, has registered a first – conducting such trials in the Middle East.
Stepping back to enjoy the larger perspective one might notice the meager impact of the Biden administration’s diplomatic overtures and economic sanctions on the progress Iran has made in uranium enrichment, ballistic missile and lethal drone production – the largest collection of such outside Israel in the region.
In a warning to House lawmakers in March, CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla warned, “Iran today is a superior military power compared to just five years prior.”
Mounting concern from US authorities predicted that Iran’s military may be learning new tricks in drone warfare by observing Russia’s use of Tehran’s attack drones in Ukraine. Despite abundant evidence, Iran’s government has consistently dismissed allegations of supplying lethal drones to that of Moscow.
Russia has ramped up the number of individual Shahed drones deployed in attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, a senior US Defense Intelligence Agency analyst shared that Iranian observers might replicate such tactics.
The analyst refrained from stating whether Russian military officials have collaborated with Iranian colleagues to advance drone technology and tactics. However, he cited intelligence declassified earlier this year by the White House. It alleged that Iran supplies Russia with the means to establish a factory outside Moscow for mass-producing Iranian-designed drones.
“If Russia were to approach Iran requesting more types of UAVs, it’s concerning that Iran might oblige.” the analyst told Al-Monitor.
Warnings have been circling for some months within the Biden administration that the Russia-Iran military cooperation is set to enhance Tehran’s capabilities, potentially endangering neighbouring states and inciting the removal of US forces from the Middle East. The latest Red Sands exercise then incorporated drone tactics from conflicts beyond the Middle East, as per Al-Monitor sources.
When questioned whether this included drone tactics employed in Ukraine, Col. Armando Hernandez, spokesperson for the US Army Central Command that supervises Red Sands, declined to confirm. He merely stated that the live exercise scenarios are firmly grounded on latest enemy UAS tactics.
In spite of Iran’s military upswing, the Biden administration implemented its selective withdrawal of tens of thousands of forces from the Middle East in recent years. These measures are taken as gearing up efforts to match rise of China. The troops drawn down to approximately 30,000 in the the Middle East has unleashed a narrative of broken commitments amongst Gulf capitals.
Pentagon officials have shared concerns that significant unrest in the Middle East, attributed either to Iran or extremist groups like Islamic State, could risk derailing Washington’s plans for future joint forces.
Being the first to know: The Biden administration has chosen to lower its hopes for a comprehensive multilateral coalition to contain Iran, suggesting a shift in diplomatic approach.
Last week, the White House announced a fresh agreement with Bahrain, which has been perpetually under Iran’s threat yet stands as a close US ally. Washington promises a deterrent response in case of an “external attack” but offers no Article 5-style response guarantee.
US authorities hope this agreement to be the first of many with Gulf states, but striking a deal with the big fish – the normalization of Saudi Arabia and Israel’s relations – is still out of reach. It was reported that Saudi Arabia has requested security assurances from the US as a condition for attempting an agreement with Israel. This is reiterated by Saudi Arabia’s insistence on establishing a civilian nuclear program as a guarantee from Washington.
