{"id":49354,"date":"2022-08-30T15:36:19","date_gmt":"2022-08-30T15:36:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2022\/08\/30\/drone-networks-can-cut-cost-of-middle-east-security-af-general-says\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T18:45:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T18:45:21","slug":"drone-networks-can-cut-cost-of-middle-east-security-af-general-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2022\/08\/30\/drone-networks-can-cut-cost-of-middle-east-security-af-general-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Drone networks can cut cost of Middle East security, AF general says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The U.S. military\u2019s budding \u201cpartnerships over posture\u201d mantra in the Middle East, fueled by technological advances and policy proposals, could head off a need to regrow the American footprint in the region, the head of American air forces there told reporters Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe real coin of the realm moving forward is probably not those ships and airplanes and soldiers\u2019 boots on the ground,\u201d Air Forces Central Command boss Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich said in a call hosted by the State Department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grynkewich said that as the Pentagon gradually disengages from its longtime wars in U.S. Central Command, future success with a smaller military footprint boils down to: \u201cHow do we share information? How do we share intelligence? How do we gain a common understanding with each other?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a number of really promising technologies that are out there,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

American officials are trying to address the issue from multiple angles. On an international level, the Biden administration has floated the idea of a Middle East air defense alliance that would give those involved more insight into potential threats headed their way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaders in the Middle East haven\u2019t warmed to the concept of a NATO-style alliance of states, Grynkewich said. Instead, they broadly support a looser partnership to piece together a clearer picture of air and missile threats across borders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At issue are the ballistic missiles and small, armed drones used to attack and spy on U.S. forces and allies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe ballistic missile threat \u2026 doesn\u2019t just emanate from Iran proper, but there are ballistic missiles that have been provided to militant groups in Iraq. There\u2019s ballistic missiles in Syria. The Houthis down in Yemen have ballistic missiles,\u201d Grynkewich said. \u201cA threat to one of our partner nations or U.S. forces, coalition forces, in the region could really come from any direction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experts have warned that such an agreement is easier said than done, thanks to incompatible technology and distrust between nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The challenge ahead entails figuring out how to integrate disparate defensive tools like the U.S.-built Patriot missile batteries and Terminal High-Altitude Air Defense system, and Israel\u2019s Iron Dome and David\u2019s Sling missiles, into a singular hub that offers a 360-degree look at the surrounding area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though Grynkewich said CENTCOM has \u201cadequate forces in the region to defend ourselves,\u201d he noted that no one in the region has the resources to know everything that\u2019s happening around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe more that we can share information, then the more nations will be enabled to make their own sovereign decisions about the defensive actions that they want to take when a threat is coming their way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a similar vein, Grynkewich said that the U.S. Navy\u2019s effort to adopt small drones as its main source of situational awareness at sea is going well enough that the Air Force wants to copy it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As with the talks of a Middle East air defense alliance, Grynkewich is considering how to merge information from various airborne platforms to give troops a more complete understanding of what\u2019s happening in the airspace around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grynkewich praised the Navy\u2019s 5th Fleet in Bahrain and its so-called \u201cTask Force 59\u2033 for taking the lead on a vision that could be cheaper and less complicated to piece together than typical military programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking at the potential for enhanced use of drones \u2014 not the kind of drones that we\u2019ve used in the past, but smaller, less expensive, that we can network in some way,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re looking at the unique placement of sensors that we can put up at high altitudes in order to build a broad situational awareness.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t