Responding To Rapid Growth Of Armed FPV Drone Tech, Tactics

In early January 2025, the Commanding General of Training Command, Maj. Gen. Anthony M. Henderson, and the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, Brig. Gen. Simon M. Doran, established the Marine Corps Attack Drone Team to counter the proliferation of armed first-person view drone technology and tactics.

The response in creating the MCADT comes after observing such technology and tactics in Eastern Europe, and as such emerging threats continue to evolve, the Marine Corps is prioritizing rapid readiness in kind by integrating FPV drone capabilities to enhance operational effectiveness across the  Fleet Marine Force.

Maj. Alejandro Tavizon, Headquarters Company Commander at Weapons Training Battalion and officer in charge of MCADT said, "Today’s battlefield is changing rapidly, and we must adapt just as quickly. The Marine Corps Attack Drone Team will ensure that our warfighters remain at the forefront of precision drone employment, providing a critical advantage in future conflicts.

“MCADT is committed to rapidly integrating armed first-person view drones into the FMF, enhancing small-unit lethality and providing organic capabilities that warfighters currently lack. By leveraging emerging technologies and refining drone employment tactics, we are ensuring that Marines remain agile, adaptive, and lethal in the modern battlespace.”

The team will be based at the Weapons Training Battalion – Quantico under Training Command, to foster a close relationship with the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory. This placing leverages the 124 years of expertise of the Marine Corps Shooting Team which has been the spearhead of the longtime culture of marksmanship and facilitated the development of this program.

FMI:  www.marines.mil/