{"id":36848,"date":"2020-02-24T16:50:46","date_gmt":"2020-02-24T16:50:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/02\/24\/jamming-precision-artillery-and-long-range-drone-strikes-on-libyan-battlefield-offer-lessons-learned-for-us-military\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:14:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:14:36","slug":"jamming-precision-artillery-and-long-range-drone-strikes-on-libyan-battlefield-offer-lessons-learned-for-us-military","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2020\/02\/24\/jamming-precision-artillery-and-long-range-drone-strikes-on-libyan-battlefield-offer-lessons-learned-for-us-military\/","title":{"rendered":"Jamming, precision artillery and long range drone strikes on Libyan battlefield offer lessons learned for US military"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Battles with characteristics of near-peer combat are raging in Africa \u2014 especially in Libya, where high-tech precision strike weapons are flooding the battlefield. And at a time when the U.S. is considering drawing down troops, the conflict in Libya is providing Pentagon planners with an opportunity to better prepare for any future conflict with China or Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A 2020 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.securitycouncilreport.org\/atf\/cf\/%7B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96FF9%7D\/s_2020_41.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">UN report<\/a> warns about the proliferation of high-tech weapons in Libya, from precision air and artillery to long-range drones, and the meddling of foreign actors seeking influence in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. Special Operations Command said in February that Africa is an area where American commandos can compete and flourish at a time where military commanders and Congress are questioning SOCOM\u2019s viability in a near-peer war, as the elite force has predominately been trained and equipped to counter terrorist groups operating in more permissive environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vice ADM. Tim Szymanski, the deputy SOCOM commander, told audience members attending the Global SOF foundation in February that SOCOM\u2019s commandos are uniquely placed in areas where China and Russia are actively competing, including countries across Africa. SOCOM boasts 6,000 folks in 70 counties, providing \u201cplacement and access,&#8221; Szymanski said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2020\/01\/30\/esper-says-us-military-not-withdrawing-from-africom\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5219041.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Esper says US military not withdrawing from AFRICOM<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">\u201cBut I had the opportunity to tell, again, to mention again that the U.S. support is critical to our operations and that its reduction would severely limit our effectiveness against terrorists.\u201d<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This allows U.S. special operators to compete with \u201cstate malign activity\u201d and in \u201cplaces where China and Russia want to be.\u201d For now, much of America\u2019s military involvement in Libya is aimed at killing ISIS fighters and keeping the group from making a comeback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The plunder of former Libyan dictator Col. Moammar Gadhafi\u2019s armories during the 2011 uprising flooded the battlefield with with an array of dated Russian and Soviet heavy weapons, machine guns, artillery and outmoded armored vehicles. The conflict remained for years a low-tech counterinsurgency war until now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The battlefield now features air defense systems, long-range drones, electronic war and the jamming of GPS systems that stretches 50 miles in from the Libyan coast \u2014 a hallmark of near-peer conflicts like Ukraine\u2019s war with Russia and its separatist forces on the eastern front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe use of air power and precision technology, including precision-guided artillery, has become a dominant feature of an otherwise low-intensity conflict,\u201d the UN report reads. \u201cMultiple incidents of precision air strikes conducted by unknown aircraft have occurred, in apparent violation of the United Nations arms embargo.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The rapidly-morphing war in Libya may provide U.S. forces and American commandos an experimental battlefield to gauge how U.S. troops can compete with rising near-peers in a region often dominated by low-tech conflict and violent extremist groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Pentagon is considering axing resources and manpower for counterinsurgency conflicts to address great power competition concerns \u2014 which is drawing rebuke from lawmakers and national security experts who are worried that an ensuing power vacuum will breathe new life into the plethora of terrorist and militant groups across the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2020\/02\/11\/with-limited-resources-us-military-shifts-strategy-from-degrading-militants-in-west-africa-to-containment\/\" target=\"_blank\"> U.S. Africa Command<\/a> area of responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Military officials with AFRICOM argue that the continent is rife with near-peer competition, with China and Russia competing for influence and sowing malign activity across the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the Libyan battlefield remains an example of where near-peer rivals are competing for influence, where high-tech weapons are being tested among proxy forces, and where hired guns with private military companies are fielding tech once reserved for nations, like radar systems and air defense missile batteries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chinese tech has found its way on the Libyan battlefield, while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2019\/04\/04\/why-this-us-general-says-russian-wagner-mercenaries-in-africa-concern-me-greatly\/\" target=_blank>Russian mercenaries with the Wagner Group<\/a> are alleged to be supporting Khalifa Hifter\u2019s Libyan National Army. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2019\/12\/10\/africom-demands-return-of-us-drone-shot-down-by-russian-air-defenses-over-libya\/\" target=_blank>AFRICOM <\/a>believes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2019\/11\/25\/libyan-officials-say-american-military-drone-shot-down-by-mistake\/\" target=_blank>a U.S. drone brought down over Tripoli<\/a> on Nov. 21, 2019, may have been targeted by a Russian mercenary group.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2020\/01\/20\/how-africom-plans-to-counter-russian-chinese-influence-in-africa\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Townsend_AFRICOM.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">How AFRICOM plans to counter Russian, Chinese influence in Africa<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Russia is the top arms exporter to African countries, followed by China, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reports.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A recent Defense Department inspector general report warns that Wagner Group mercenaries recently increased their footprint in Libya by 600 to 1,200 personnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRussia also want to position, particularly in northern Africa, particularly in Libya. They want a position on NATO\u2019s southern flank there. They also, I think, want to thwart, you know, what we\u2019re trying to do and present themselves as a great power alternative to the United States,\u201d Army Gen. Stephen J. Townsend, the AFRICOM commander, told lawmakers in January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The UN warns outside foreign actors are fueling both sides of the conflict, pitting the Tripoli-based, UN-backed Government of National Accord in a drone and tech war against Hifter\u2019s forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For now, the UN cautions, the Libyan National Army has the upper hand in the drone war. It\u2019s equipped with an alleged UAE-supplied Chinese drone known as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.securitycouncilreport.org\/atf\/cf\/%7B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3-CF6E4FF96FF9%7D\/S_2019_914.pdf\" target=_blank>Wing Long II <\/a>that boasts a 2,000 km range through a satellite link and is reportedly armed with Chinese manufactured Blue Arrow 7 precision strike air-to-surface missiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"5616\" height=\"3744\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Wing.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-73692\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Wing.jpg.jpg 5616w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Wing.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Wing.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Wing.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Wing.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Wing.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 5616px) 100vw, 5616px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A model of a Wing Loong II weaponized drone hangs above the stand for the China National Aero-Technology Import &#038; Export Corp. at a military drone conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018. (Jon Gambrell\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The UN says Hifter\u2019s forces have a \u201csignificant tactical advantage\u201d over Tripoli\u2019s Turkish-manufactured Bayraktar TB2 drone that boasts a limited range of 200 km and a much smaller 55 kg payload, armed with two Turkish Roketsan Smart Micro Guided Munitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hifter\u2019s Chinese-built satellite-linked drone can cover all of Libya, allowing his forces to punish GNA airfields and runways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis provides HAF [Hifter Armed Forces] with a full offensive capability and allows it to achieve local air superiority,\u201d a December 2019 UN report reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSince May 2019, the \u2018drone war\u2019 has escalated, and for both parties to the conflict UCAVs [unmanned combat aerial vehicles] are now the main means to conduct air strikes and drop precision guided munitions,\u201d the 2019 UN report explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Combative forces in Libya are also rapidly evolving the type of armored and tactical vehicles operating in the country. The 2019 UN report said it tracked five new types of tactical vehicles and noted a \u201ctransition\u201d of converted technicals to the \u201cpreferred\u201d use of \u201cwheeled armored vehicles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For several years following Gadhafi\u2019s fall, militants and insurgents could be seen rolling down Libyan streets in old modified Toyota pick-up trucks with mounted heavy weapon systems \u2014 a low-tech tactical vehicle commonly called the technical. The cheap technical has been a dominant military vehicle across counterinsurgency conflicts around the Middle East.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2956\" height=\"1934\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/636057434281441031-ap-16161460486131jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-73693\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/636057434281441031-ap-16161460486131jpg.jpg 2956w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/636057434281441031-ap-16161460486131jpg.jpg?resize=300,196 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/636057434281441031-ap-16161460486131jpg.jpg?resize=768,502 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/636057434281441031-ap-16161460486131jpg.jpg?resize=1024,670 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/636057434281441031-ap-16161460486131jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1005 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/636057434281441031-ap-16161460486131jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1340 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2956px) 100vw, 2956px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In this March 7, 2016 file photo, a man loyal to the Libyan armed forces prepares himself for clashes with Islamic State group militants west of Benghazi, Libya. Islamic State militants are fleeing their main bastion in Libya, a day after militiamen loyal to a U.N.-brokered government pushed into the central city of Sirte. Some militants have reportedly shaved off their beards to escape. The capture of Sirte capped an almost month-long effort by the militiamen to take the IS stronghold. The fighters, mostly from the western Libyan city of Misrata, have also dismantled a \u0093stage of horror\u0094 in the city center that was used by IS for public beheadings. (AP Photo\/Mohammed el-Shaiky, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">New vehicles consisted of Turkish-manufactured Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Kirpi, the American BAE-built Caiman MRAP, and the Jordanian-produced al-Mared 8X8 infantry armored fighting vehicles, among other vehicles, the UN report detailed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The UN says Libya remains a low-intensity conflict, but high-tech weapons, air defense systems, modern armored vehicles and precision strike capabilities once reserved for sophisticated nations are rapidly proliferating on the battlefield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Libya is a proxy conflict with characteristics akin to the high-tech war raging in Ukraine where electronic warfare, jamming and sophisticated drones and precision tech are the norms of the conflict.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cThe use of air power and precision technology, including precision-guided artillery, has become a dominant feature of an otherwise low-intensity conflict.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":16666,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,8,23,93,12,25,67],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3398],"class_list":["post-36848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"5AUB6PLBEZCKXCUEIICYDOGIVQ","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2020\/02\/24\/jamming-precision-artillery-and-long-range-drone-strikes-on-libyan-battlefield-offer-lessons-learned-for-us-military\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Jamming, precision artillery and long range drone strikes on Libyan battlefield offer lessons learned for US military - Marine Corps Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u201cThe use of air power and precision technology, including precision-guided artillery, has become a dominant feature of an otherwise low-intensity conflict.&quot;\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2020\/02\/24\/jamming-precision-artillery-and-long-range-drone-strikes-on-libyan-battlefield-offer-lessons-learned-for-us-military\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta 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