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During the Global War on Terrorism Era, improvised explosive devices became a common threat. These destructive and lethal devices are used by criminals, vandals, terrorists, suicide bombers, and insurgents. Traditionally, they are carried or delivered in a vehicle, package, or on the roadside, typically at ground level. But in modern warfare, the sky is also unsafe with the rise of weaponized drones, which have become standard in conflicts, particularly in Eastern Europe.
Staff Sgt. Gustavo Rojo, a small unmanned aircraft systems program manager, Sgt. Aubrey Shepard and Cpl. Braydon Haley, a small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) operator and data systems administrator with Advanced Infantry Training Battalion, School of Infantry West, aided modernization efforts during an Advanced Infantry Marine Course from May 14-15, 2025. Working with SOI-W, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, the AITB sUAS program is sharpening the battlefield instincts of the Corps’ next generation, introducing drone-based training aids that prepare Marines to outthink and outfight modern threats.
“It was something new that we hadn’t run into at the time,” Rojo said about his first experiences with weaponized drones in 2016. “Being a combat engineer, a lot of our training and focus was alongside the infantry in an IED environment during the War on Terror. At the time, the focus was on threats from the ground, not from above. That kind of changed drastically when we started getting reports and incursions of drones, and some of them were dropping munitions.”
Rojo and Shepard both entered the Marine Corps as different military occupation specialties. Rojo, a combat engineer, and Shepard, a motor transport operator, learned from their early experiences about the dangers of drones and their lethality on the battlefield. Together, they started the first sUAS program within SOI-W in August of 2024. Composed of the three Marines, Rojo, Shepard, and Haley, they slowly began initiating and developing formal implementation of the program of record group 1, group 2, and FPV drones into offensive and defensive training in the courses throughout the battalion.
“Not only is the enemy using it,” said Rojo, “but we can use it as well. [...] They’re another tool. This is just another precision fire asset that you can use.”
When implemented into training, the sUAS Marines help address two key shortfalls: providing Blue Air support to students and replicating Red Air threats. Blue Air support enhances understanding of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, including drones, and demonstrates how sUAS assets can be requested, tasked and embedded into planning cycles. Red Air threat replication employs drones as an adversarial force. Easy to maneuver, kamikaze drones and IEDs can be used to harass targets physically and psychologically.
“We have to start training in a new way, especially using these sorts of tools,” said Rojo. “Having that exposure, compared to a regular [simulated casualty evacuation drill], you’re able to actually see it and feel it. We can actually hit them [with the drones] and see how they react.”
The training introduces students to the visual, auditory, and psychological effects of enemy drone activity. This leads to the Marines' development of real-time behavior changes, signature management, and tactical decision-making, thereby enhancing their psychological versatility and preparedness as warfighters.
“It definitely gives us an edge,” said Rojo. “I think the Marine Corps in total, and the DoD, is going to be more equipped to really fight these future battlefields that are going to be in play, whether that’s sUAS, advanced communication, it's all going to interlink together.”
The sUAS military occupation specialty is new to the Corps, and its integration with AITB didn’t begin until September 2024. The integration into AITB is part of the larger infantry modernization objectives of Force Design, which focuses on redesigning the Marine Corps to be threat-informed, concept-based, and accountable to a campaign of learning.
“This is something new,” said Rojo. “It’s going to shake up a lot of things, like how we train and how we go about combating [IEDs]. The sUAS is very beneficial because it opens a lot of people’s eyes and shows a few of the shortfalls we have.”
Rojo, Shepard, and Haley are the first sUAS Marines to be a part of the formal refinement and modernization of AITB. Working closely with SOI-W, they expose hundreds of Marines to Group 1 and Group 2 drones, including the Skydio X2D, R80, Puma, VXE30 Stalker, and the Orb FPV drone.
“The intent here is to normalize it,” said Rojo. “This is going to be a part of the future battlefield, whether people agree or disagree. I don’t think it’s going away anytime soon. When [Marines] hear a drone, they do a certain action in response. Mentally preparing the Marines in a psychological way to be critically thinking to make tactical decisions on the fly.”
As the Marine Corps shifts into Force Design, the modernization of combat readiness will become increasingly significant, given that threats worldwide are becoming more lethal. In the new age of modern warfare, Marines like Rojo, Shepard, and Haley will ensure the Corps remains a deadly fighting force and that battles are won.
“We aim to give our Marines a fighting chance,” said Rojo. “And to our adversaries, it sends a clear message: we’re watching, we’re listening, and WE WILL be ready.”
(U.S. Marine Corps story by Cpl. Jacqueline Akamelu)
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| Date Taken: | 05.16.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.09.2025 16:08 |
| Story ID: | 500112 |
| Location: | CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 22 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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