An Cosantóir

wwwwwwwwwwww wwwwwwwwwwww An Cosantóir July / August 2026 www.military.ie/magazine F or light infantry and other un-armoured activity - such as sustainment, checkpoints and HQs - drones are no longer a niche capability; they shape movement, survival and assault before troops meet the enemy. Soldiers need drills they can train to apply age old principles on today's battlefield. Officers must rethink control, fire support and force design. Full references appear in the Connect app edition of this article Infantry cannot wait for higher HQ to solve the drone problem. It is at section and platoon level, having an effect on the battlefield. Drones (UxS) have not made infantry obsolete - they afford lethality before the enemy is seen, through recce, precision strike and attacks on routes. This applies across the spectrum of conflict, including peacekeeping. If a section cannot detect, disrupt or destroy drones, they are visible and targetable. In the Russo–Ukrainian War, drones cause over 80% of casualties - more than artillery. ¹ Counter-UAS (CUAS) is required at all levels, starting with the section. Air defence can't be confined to artillery. Full references appear in the Connect App edition. Light Infantry Combat UAS provide constant observation, targeting and fire correction. However, the battlefield is not fully transparent: pilots work a 2D screen, degraded by terrain, weather and EW - they miss things. Yet they detect movement well - and people must move. The result is movement as timed exposure: every time a soldier moves, a 'clock' starts. Veterans describe movement as possible, but not automatic. ² It's a severe threat for dismounts³ - even vehicles cannot outrun UAS. Dropper drones are often more valuable than FPV kamikazes. As infantry close air support, they're reusable, deliver payloads up to 15 kg, drop mines, attack logistics and kill without being seen. For the enemy, droppers and FPVs turn routes into kill zones; ⁴ for us, they resupply remotely and take risk out of conducting particularly dangerous jobs. Ground drones (UGS) do not replace infantry; they lessen soldiers' exposure during the most exposed tasks; resupply, CASEVAC and crewed weapons. UGS sit best at company level, but NCOs and officers at all levels must know how to use them - or they will bog down, break down or be killed by UAS. Nowadays, planning movement incorporates UAS recce/overwatch and CUAS. Camouflage, radio-emission control and thermal management are essential. Darkness is not protection - cheap thermal imaging can make night movement more visible. 5 Improvised thermal camouflage and scrim add friction to the kill chain and buy time. Under persistent observation, survivability also means becoming the least interesting target. 6 Veterans report that well-equipped troops drew fire when conscripts did not. Deception is essential; some soldiers even play dead. Camouflage is PPE. Maximise body armour and helmet coverage. Eye protection is critical - plastic drone fragments wound. Active hearing protection alters the drone's sound and degrades recognition. The conditions for assault must be shaped in advance: the objective is scouted, isolated, degraded and suppressed. 7 Fire support and CUAS planning are now the same problem, needing radio discipline, smoke, movement timing and suppression of enemy UAS. What privates and junior NCOs could train for now Six drills, these drills can be trained for tomorrow's battlefield. 1: Assume you are being watched. Train packeted movement between cover and concealment. Build in SLLS drone halts. Every soldier knows the route. A higher concentration of enemy drones requires smaller packets (2–3). 2: Actions-on drone sighting. The observer keeps eyes on. Everyone else freezes, move slowly into concealment and reduce signature. Do not run - movement is what drones detect best. The commander should note the time and decide whether to hide, shoot or disperse (small drones loiter under 30 minutes). 18 | 14-SOLDIER 14-SOLDIER DRONE DRONE SURVIVAL SURVIVAL MINIMUM MINIMUM ARTICLE BY A. BEATTY AND E. O'BRIEN Dispersion is essential — most terrain will punish bunching up A stretcher party draws fire; the recovery team draws more Smoke can conceal soldiers from UAS observation

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