1st Special Forces Command launches inaugural drone competition to sharpen formation readiness
ANNISTON, Ala.— 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) brought together 15 Teams from across the Special Forces Groups, the 75th Ranger Regiment and the 101st Division at Fort McClellan and Clarke Range Complex, Aug. 24-28, for its inaugural Best Drone Team Competition, a five-day event designed to assess and strengthen unmanned systems proficiency across the formation.
The competition tested how teams employed small, unmanned aircraft systems in support of tactical tasks in both rural and urban environments. The event focused on more than flight operations, requiring competitors to analyze problems, adjust to changing conditions and apply available technology to mission requirements. 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne)may have earned first-place honors at the conclusion of the event, but the broader purpose was to improve readiness across 1st Special Forces Command by identifying effective practices, exposing capability gaps and informing future training.
“This event was built to measure how teams apply unmanned systems in a tactical context, not simply how well they operate the equipment,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Phil Schleicher, G3-Aviation/UAS & Robotics Ops Warrant for the Special Operations Robotics Detachment (SORD), 1 SFC. “We wanted to evaluate judgment, adaptability and how these systems support mission accomplishment.”
The event brought together Special Forces teams, robotics-focused personnel and key staff representatives from across the command, creating an opportunity to compare approaches and exchange tactics, techniques and procedures.
The competition reflects a broader command emphasis on adapting to rapidly changing technology and ensuring units can incorporate emerging capabilities into training and operations. As unmanned systems continue to evolve, commanders must balance experimentation, resourcing and skill development to ensure formations remain effective in complex environments.
“The operational value of these systems depends on how well soldiers understand their capabilities and integrate them into a larger tactical problem,” said 20th Special Forces Group’s SORD Competition Coordinator. “The system itself is only one part of the equation.”
Observations from the competition will help shape future training across the force, including efforts to capture best practices, develop instructional materials and examine ways to raise baseline proficiency in tactical unmanned systems employment.
The competition provided leaders an opportunity to observe how teams are solving similar operational challenges with different methods and equipment. Those insights, can help inform follow-on training and guide future capability development discussions across the command. “Our objective is to take what was learned this week and make it accessible across the 1 SFC formation,” said Brig. Gen. Joseph Wortham, Commanding General of 1 SFC. “Success is not just about recognizing the top team. It is about improving the overall force.”
As the command continues to refine how it prepares Soldiers to operate in a changing technological environment, the inaugural Best Drone Team Competition marked an early step in building a more capable, adaptive and informed force. Click for photos