Photo By Lt. Col. Charles An | Pfc. Kayla Potvin, allied trades specialist, Forward Support Company, 107th Engineer...... read more read more
From Manned Breach to Robotic Maneuver: How the Army Reserve Advances Transformation in Contact
75th U.S. Army Reserve Innovation Command article by: Col. Trahon Mashack, director, G5, 75th USARIC Lt. Col. Davin Walz, deputy, G5, 75th USARIC Lt. Col. Charles An, chief, Public Affairs Office, 75th USARIC
Introduction "Shame on us if we make first contact in combat with a human again and that the technology exists to trade robots for that instead of trading blood for first contact.”
Gen. James Rainey, former commanding general of Army Futures Command
The Army Reserve’s force design role is evolving from providing depth to delivering agility, innovation, and operational experimentation. Nowhere is this shift more urgent than in combat engineering. As peer adversaries expand anti-access and area-denial capabilities, the Army must integrate robotics into engineer formations to preserve freedom of maneuver and reduce risk to Soldiers across all components.
During Exercise Northern Strike (NS) 2026 at Camp Grayling, Michigan, the Army Reserve will expand upon experimentation efforts conducted during NS 2025.. A Combat Engineer Company–Infantry (CEC-I) will be assessed against a robotics-enabled formation, illustrating how the Reserve can prototype emerging capabilities, inform force design, and contribute directly to Multi-Domain Operations.
Army Reserve Contributions to Transformation in Contact
Transformation in Contact (TiC) accelerates the Army’s ability to prototype organizational designs and operationally test emerging technologies within a near-term zero-to-three-year horizon. These efforts directly inform future Program Objective Memorandum cycles and Total Army Analysis decisions, while empowering commanders to adapt faster than adversaries.
For the Army Reserve, TiC represents a shift from passive modernization to active experimentation inside operational exercises. During Northern Strike 25-2, senior leaders from the 75th U.S. Army Reserve Innovation Command identified clear opportunities for Reserve formations to support TiC through engineering, robotics, and data-driven experimentation. Northern Strike 2026 provides the venue to operationalize those observations.
Why Transition to a Robotics-Enabled Engineer Company?:
The decision to bring autonomous capabilities to a Combat Engineer Company is grounded in three interrelated factors:
Operational Demand: Modern breaching operations occur under persistent surveillance and precision fires. Robotic platforms reduce exposure during obstacle reduction and enable maneuver in contested terrain.
Demonstrated Feasibility: Recent experimentation by the 20th and 36th Engineer Brigades validated the utility of unmanned ground and aerial systems for engineer missions. The 75th USARIC is building on these lessons, adapting them for Reserve formations, equipment density, and training models.
Strategic Alignment: Camp Grayling offers a unique environment for Joint certification, multinational integration, and industry-enabled experimentation at scale. Northern Strike’s capacity to orchestrate training for over 8,000 service members and complexity allow robotics-enabled engineers to operate in realistic conditions alongside Active, Guard, and allied partnered forces.
Analyzing a USAR transition from manned breach to robotic maneuver provides a data driven assessment to support the following operational effects:
Data collected during Northern Strike 2026 will extend far beyond the bounds of the exercise itself. Leveraging data-driven warfighters, the 75th USARIC will translate operational observations into actionable insights aligned with DOTMLPF-P analysis. These concepts will enable T2COM and U.S. Army Reserve Command to assess organizational design, training requirements, and sustainment implications. This disciplined approach to experimentation ensures near-term capability decisions are informed by evidence, while simultaneously shaping long-term force structure decisions that better position the U.S. Army Reserve to support the Total Army.
In close coordination with the 412th and the 416th Theater Engineer Commands, the 75th USARIC will apply specialized robotics expertise to assess the transition from legacy to robotic maneuver. Soldiers from two CEC-I’s will assess a traditional breach operation and a robotic breach employing unmanned ground and aerial systems. By capturing synchronized data—time, fuel consumption, manpower, and overall mission effectiveness—the 75th USARIC will quantify the operational impact of robotic integration. This side-by-side, data-driven comparison provides commanders with clear, empirical evidence to inform future investment, force design, and employment decisions, reinforcing experimentation as a decisive tool for achieving desired operational effects.
Expanding Innovation Opportunities Beyond Robotics
Robotics is the entry point—not the end state.
By integrating into the Northern Strike 2026 planning cycle, the 75th USARIC will identify additional opportunities to experiment across software development, digital engineering, electronic warfare, network defense, additive manufacturing, theater acquisition, and contracting.
The Army Reserve’s access to civilian technical expertise and industry partnerships positions it to bridge operational needs with scalable solutions. In doing so, not only does the Army Reserve keep pace with continuous transformation but contributes meaningfully to shaping how the Army plans and executes tomorrow’s fight.
| Date Taken: | 02.02.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 02.02.2026 22:17 |
| Story ID: | 557328 |
| Location: | CAMP GRAYLING, MICHIGAN, US |
| Hometown: | CAMP GRAYLING, MICHIGAN, US |
| Hometown: | HOUSTON, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 48 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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