U.S. Army Oklahoma National Guard tests counter-drone tactics in Thunderstruck 2.0 exercise.

On September 13, 2025, the Oklahoma Army National Guard’s 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team wrapped up its training year with Exercise Thunderstruck 2.0, a capstone counter-unmanned aircraft system drill staged at Camp Gruber Training Center. The event challenged soldiers to confront simulated drone incursions under battlefield conditions, applying detection, jamming, and kinetic interception tactics to match a rapidly evolving threat environment that has already reshaped modern combat.
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Small unmanned aircraft systems simulated hostile incursions during Exercise Thunderstruck 2.0 at the Camp Gruber Training Center in Oklahoma on September 13, 2025, where National Guard soldiers tested counter-drone tactics under realistic battlefield conditions. (Picture source: U.S. Department of War)

Thunderstruck 2.0 was not simply a training milestone but a proving ground for how the Guard integrates electronic warfare, early warning, and kinetic defense into maneuver formations. Soldiers rehearsed countering swarming drones while synchronizing responses with higher command nodes, testing communication resilience as much as firepower. “We know from recent conflicts that the side able to deny the enemy’s drone advantage will own the initiative on the ground,” said one Oklahoma brigade officer overseeing the event.

The exercise drew attention beyond Oklahoma, with visitors from the National Guard Bureau, active-duty Army units, defense contractors, and state emergency management offices attending. Their presence highlighted a recognition that counter-drone warfare is not confined to overseas battlefields. In the words of one emergency management official observing the drill, “The threat of drones isn’t just tactical, it is homeland security. What happens here has direct relevance for protecting critical infrastructure across the United States.”

Conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have accelerated U.S. efforts to field scalable C-UAS capabilities, and Thunderstruck 2.0 reflects how those lessons are filtering into the Guard. Oklahoma soldiers trained with jamming devices and handheld detection systems, tested engagement drills with small arms, and practiced coordinating fires against drones flying low over defensive positions. Industry representatives showcased prototype detection radars and modular jammer systems, giving soldiers exposure to the tools that may soon become standard kit.

For the broader U.S. armed forces, counter-drone tactics are no longer niche training but a critical survival skill. Small, commercially available drones can now provide real-time reconnaissance, disrupt logistics, or deliver explosives at a fraction of the cost of traditional weapon systems. U.S. Army doctrine increasingly treats the skies just above the battlefield as a contested layer where soldiers must fight for freedom of maneuver, much like armor units once fought to dominate open terrain. Mastering counter-drone operations ensures not only the protection of frontline troops but also the safeguarding of command posts, supply convoys, and air defense assets that adversaries actively target with loitering munitions. Lessons from Guard exercises like Thunderstruck 2.0 feed directly into Pentagon-wide modernization programs such as the Joint Counter-UAS Office, which is tasked with unifying the services’ efforts into a coherent defense against drones.

Beyond technical trials, the exercise underscored the Guard’s dual mission. Overseas, Oklahoma brigades could face hostile loitering munitions on deployment; at home, they may be called upon to counter drones interfering with disaster response or targeting energy facilities. By involving both civilian officials and defense industry in the training loop, Thunderstruck 2.0 bridged the gap between battlefield requirements and domestic defense imperatives.

Strategically, Thunderstruck 2.0 demonstrates how the National Guard is becoming a key laboratory for counter-drone doctrine. Unlike large-scale NATO maneuvers that rehearse established playbooks, brigade-level Guard events are increasingly where innovation happens, where tactics can be tested and refined before being integrated across the Army. The Oklahoma Guard’s work feeds directly into broader Pentagon efforts to harden U.S. formations against a threat that has proven devastating in modern conflict zones.