U.S. Army Transforms National Guard Brigade into Drone and Electronic Warfare Combat Force.

The U.S. Army is accelerating its transformation toward future multidomain warfare after the Virginia National Guard’s 116th Infantry Brigade became the first National Guard formation reorganized as a Mobile Brigade Combat Team under the U.S. Army’s Transformation in Contact 2.0 initiative. During a live-fire exercise at Fort Pickett, U.S. soldiers combined reconnaissance drones, electronic warfare systems, cyber operations, and low-earth orbit satellite communications to locate, disrupt, and target enemy forces across a digitally contested battlefield.

The exercise demonstrated how future U.S. Army brigades could fight in wars dominated by drones, electromagnetic attacks, cyber disruption, and long-range precision fires. U.S. Army officials described the event as one of the first operational demonstrations of a new combat concept designed to help infantry formations survive against technologically advanced adversaries.

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Virginia National Guard Soldiers from the 116th Mobile Brigade Combat Team conduct a multi-domain live-fire exercise at Fort Pickett, integrating drones, counter-UAS systems, and electronic warfare technologies as part of the U.S. Army’s transformation toward cyber- and drone-enabled combat operations. (Picture source: U.S. Department of War/Defense)

The Staunton-based 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team became the first U.S. Army National Guard infantry brigade reclassified as a Mobile Brigade Combat Team in 2025 under the U.S. Army’s Transformation in Contact 2.0 initiative. The restructuring introduces dedicated drone reconnaissance units, electronic warfare assets, cyber-enabled targeting, and resilient satellite communications directly into brigade combat operations, fundamentally changing how U.S. Army infantry formations detect, track, and destroy enemy forces.

At the center of the transformation is the brigade’s new Multi-function Reconnaissance Company, a unit specifically designed to integrate tactical unmanned aerial systems, electromagnetic warfare systems, counter-drone capabilities, and cyber effects into frontline reconnaissance missions. The company spent the past year fielding and training with newly introduced systems before employing them together for the first time during the multidomain live-fire exercise at Fort Pickett.

The exercise illustrated how future U.S. Army infantry brigades may operate against technologically advanced adversaries. Reconnaissance teams used tactical drones and terrestrial layer systems to detect, identify, and jam enemy electromagnetic activity while maneuvering through the Automated Infantry Squad Battle Course. Soldiers searched for a simulated enemy fire direction center while simultaneously integrating aerial surveillance, electronic sensing, and electromagnetic attack capabilities into live-fire operations.

Capt. Skyler Farr, commander of the Multi-function Reconnaissance Company, explained that the event marked the brigade’s first opportunity to fully synchronize all newly fielded reconnaissance and electronic warfare systems into a single operational framework. Rather than relying solely on direct observation and conventional maneuver, U.S. Army infantry squads now combine drone reconnaissance, electromagnetic sensing, and digital targeting to identify enemy positions before physical engagement occurs.

The demonstration reflects a major shift in U.S. Army doctrine shaped heavily by lessons learned from the war in Ukraine and the growing global proliferation of drones and electronic warfare systems. Modern battlefields increasingly reward units capable of locating enemy forces electronically, disrupting communications, neutralizing drones, and conducting precision targeting through networked sensors rather than relying solely on massed maneuver.

One of the most significant aspects of the Fort Pickett exercise was the integration of offensive cyber operations directly into tactical infantry operations. Brigade staff coordinated cyber effects designed to manipulate digital network activity and force simulated enemy emitters to transition from encrypted digital traffic to detectable voice communications. Once exposed, those signals could then be identified and targeted using the brigade’s electromagnetic warfare systems.

This convergence of infantry maneuver, cyber operations, electronic warfare, and drone reconnaissance highlights how the U.S. Army’s Mobile Brigade Combat Team structure differs from legacy infantry brigade organizations built primarily around counterinsurgency warfare after 2001. The new structure prioritizes multidomain sensing, rapid targeting, electromagnetic dominance, and survivability in contested environments where adversaries can jam communications, disrupt GPS signals, and deploy large numbers of drones.

The brigade also employed low-earth orbit satellite communications systems during the exercise to maintain command-and-control connectivity and digital battle tracking across the battlefield. These systems are increasingly important as the U.S. Army prepares for potential conflicts against peer adversaries capable of attacking conventional communication networks through jamming, cyber intrusion, or anti-satellite capabilities.

Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the Adjutant General of Virginia, stated that the U.S. Army’s decision to select the 116th as one of the first National Guard brigades to transition into the Mobile Brigade Combat Team structure reflects the unit’s ability to rapidly integrate emerging battlefield technologies. The transformation also demonstrates the Pentagon’s growing confidence in National Guard combat formations as operational forces capable of deploying advanced multidomain combat capabilities alongside active-duty units.

A key driver behind the brigade’s modernization effort has been its partnership with the U.S. Army Research Laboratory. Brig. Gen. Rusty McGuire emphasized that collaboration with U.S. Army researchers enables Soldiers to test, adapt, and refine emerging battlefield technologies within operational formations rather than waiting for traditional acquisition timelines. This accelerated modernization approach has become central to the U.S. Army’s Transformation in Contact initiative, which pushes experimental systems directly into combat units for immediate operational evaluation.

The Fort Pickett exercise also underscored the increasing strategic importance of counter-unmanned aerial system operations inside U.S. Army maneuver formations. Virginia National Guard leaders highlighted the installation’s role as a growing center for counter-drone training, multidomain experimentation, and homeland defense preparation. The combination of maneuver ranges, live-fire infrastructure, and proximity to the National Capital Region makes Fort Pickett increasingly relevant for both military modernization and domestic airspace security missions.

The 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team will undergo a major operational validation later in 2026 when it deploys to the Joint Readiness Training Center in Louisiana. That rotation will likely test whether the U.S. Army’s new drone-electronic warfare-cyber infantry brigade concept can effectively survive and fight against sophisticated opposing forces capable of conducting electronic attack, drone reconnaissance, cyber disruption, and precision fires.

The outcome may shape the future of the U.S. Army force design. If successful, the Mobile Brigade Combat Team model could become the blueprint for transforming infantry brigades across both active-duty and National Guard formations into multidomain combat forces optimized for future wars dominated by drones, electronic warfare, cyber operations, and contested communications networks.

The U.S. Army’s transformation effort signals a broader recognition inside the Pentagon that future ground combat will no longer be decided solely by tanks, artillery, and infantry maneuver. Instead, battlefield success increasingly depends on which force can dominate the electromagnetic spectrum, control drone reconnaissance, protect digital networks, and integrate cyber effects faster than the enemy.

Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.