An Cosantóir

| 19 Support by fire. Armed UGS suppress, breach, ambush and have held key terrain in Ukraine. Why is a soldier still carrying a HMG, its tripod and ammunition forward by hand, when UGS can? UGS do not replace soldiers, though – they still need humans to reload and recover them and fitters to keep them running. Human-Machine Teaming. Military engineering is the clearest proof that manned-unmanned teaming already works. It's not a future aspiration but established practice. Engineers already use UGS for the high-risk shaping tasks that expose soldiers: EOD, obstacle clearance, bridging and breaching. For a small force the prize is larger still. Remote breaching, route clearance and gap-crossing are capability we could otherwise never afford, because it usually comes bolted to heavy amour we'll never buy. Why man-handle a Bailey Bridge forward under observation when a UGS can do the dangerous part? Other UGS carry EW and air-defence suites, but they're costly and draw enemy UAS. The engineering model is the cheaper, more resilient path. One-way attack (OWA) UGS. These are a distinct, cheap strike category. The idea is old: the German GOLIATH and French equivalents of the Second World War. It was twisted by ISIS' suicide VBIEDs. It has re-emerged to support assaults and hit outposts. UGS are lighter, cheaper, need no return trip and replace human assault. UGS-control is difficult – harder on the ground than in the air. Radio links jam and can be intercepted. Fibre-optic control works for one-way UAS, but not for a ground platform that must cross terrain and return. You can't spool and recover kilometres of cable. What junior and mid-ranking officers and NCOs need to change UGS are generally not for infantry platoons to operate, but theirs to integrate. When drones arrive with a resupply: secure it, unload fast and send it back – do not bunch; a cluster on the forward line invites an FPV. Every NCO needs to know what a UGS can carry, where it can go and how to read ground for it: gradient, debris, soft soil, where it will tip or bog. Route assessment is now a section and platoon skill. It belongs in the tactical estimate. CIS should be working this problem now. To address the widespread adoption of UGS, motor technician fitter training must adapt to meet the needs of this UGS-enabled force. What senior officers need to act on Establishments must be reviewed, such as UGS held at company or equivalent level. The section has evolved; so has the company – support, transport and CASEVAC must follow. Now two harder points. In warfighting, UGS lifespan lies between armoured vehicles and UAS – particularly where humans are dug-in and robotics do all the exposed resupply. Evolution-through-feedback quickens obsolescence. That lifespan does not fit a capital-equipment procurement cycle. This raises a sharper question – why only buy them? Ireland has the expertise to build simple UGS in-house: a prize for recruitment, retention, domestic industry, even the non-lethal aid we offer abroad. UGS have been operating in military engineering roles for decades. Robot Workshops, the Ordnance Corps' centre of expertise in this area, can be utilised to support the widespread adoption within a UGS-enabled force. Arming UGS is the logical next step once the unarmed case is won. Either way, PME must evolve – staff courses, and combat, CS and CSS training alike. It must reckon with the psychological dimension of human- machine combat: when the machine takes the risk, it changes how soldiers fight, hesitate and bond. Conclusion Ground drones do not replace infantry. They take on the most dangerous movement, the heaviest loads and the jobs that get soldiers killed – and they let a small force punch above its weight. For the private, that means working around a UGS without becoming a target. For the commander and 2I/C, planning with them as a standard enabler. For the senior officer, accepting that the company has already changed – and that we have a history and the workshops to lead this rather than follow. UGS technology is not a revolution but an evolution and the battlefield is not waiting. www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE ESSCO, Dok-ing and HMEE Moving supplies is labour intensive and concentrates humans to exposure Manual bridging is exceptionally challenging and vulnerable Minewolf in Action Light mobility and optionally crewed vehicles save lives

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