Unmanned Systems West

Meet representatives from our sponsors and exhibitors as they introduce themselves to the UxS delegation. In just a few minutes, learn more about innovative services and cutting-edge solutions. Bring your questions!

Having a true C-UAS capability that keeps pace with the evolving threat is a challenge not only because of rapidly advancing UAS technology, but also because of the tactics being forged daily on the battlefield, the unique environments surrounding the assets we must protect, and the complex rules of engagement that are often driven more by cost to the magazine than absolute capability. How can we rethink the entire C-UAS lifecycle to address a threat that evolves on the order of months rather than years? And what parallels can we draw from to help develop this way of thinking?

• When drone warfare first emerged, we viewed it as a battlefield curiosity. As the Ukraine war unfolded, we saw it could be a game-changer—but largely focused on the tactical implications.
• Now, we see drones achieving serious strategic effects, so we are pushing hard in this realm—but are we doing it the right way?
• JIATF-401 is a fantastic step forward, but how do we implement C-UAS in the real world, where every base, critical infrastructure site, and mass gathering faces unique environments, rules of engagement, ownership structures, and resource constraints?
• Why we need to think about the whole lifecycle of C-UAS—and avoid the trap of buying technology and considering the job done.
• This is everyone’s fight, and we aren’t going to be able to simply buy our way out of it. Like any emerging form of warfare that came before, this will take a full spectrum approach, from strategy all the way down to tactics and doctrines and procedures.

The U.S. Defense Industrial Base (DIB) is not healthy, resilient, or prepared to surge to meet emerging conflicts. Decades of consolidation, offshoring, and right-sizing to DoD’s peacetime demand have left the DIB unable to meet the wartime demand the Department now faces, especially in emerging or expanding sectors such as Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and Counter-UAS. The Department can, and is, taking steps to improve the situation, but it will take time and resources to correct a problem decades in the making.

• Resilient: Maintaining Awareness in Contested Environments
• Scale: Connecting the Tactical Edge to the Command and Control
• Expeditionary: Bringing Awareness Wherever the Mission Goes

• Strategy: Capabilities must be driven by strategic-political objectives rather than end-user lethality
• Operational Art: Air-Maritime Integration for Distributed Operations must be influenced by the nature of the contested environment and a deep understanding of Sea Power
• Tactical: Ensuring scale and survivability on both land and sea

• Unifying efforts to reform traditional acquisition structures and supercharge the industrial base through an increased emphasis on data-driven decision-making and creating incentives for industry
• Removing barriers to speed delivery of undersea capabilities, including unmanned systems, with a focus on designing for producibility and implementing advanced manufacturing initiatives