How a killer drone attack went down
An investigation of the drone attack on a US military base in Jordan called "Tower 22" that left three Army Reserve soldiers dead in January 2024 reveals an atmosphere of complacency, lack of situational awareness, and incompetence that is inexplicable in a combat zone but sadly a day ending in "y" for the military of Lloyd Austin and CQ Brown.
At 5:53 a.m. on January 28, 2024, a drone launched by an Iranian-backed militia slammed into the sleeping area where most of Tower 22's 350-man garrison was bunked. The dead were Sergeant William Jerome Rivers of Carrollton, Georgia; Specialist Kennedy Ladon Sanders of Waycross, Georgia; and Specialist Breonna Alexsondria Moffett of Savannah, Georgia. All were assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade, Fort Benning, Georgia.
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CENTCOM had requested anti-drone defense systems based on its risk analysis, but the entire US Army only had one, count them, one, system available, and it was reserved for redeployment training. Why you'd bother to use training time to gain familiarity with a system you will never see again is an unanswered question. Needless to say, nothing is too good for the troops, and that is exactly what they get. The base had one electronic warfare system designed to counter drones, but it was not used.
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The inbound drone was detected, but there was a “failure to interrogate or assess the unidentified aircraft.” Making things worse, a friendly drone was landing at the base as the enemy drone was inbound. "A minute later, the screen pinged, showing an unknown object approaching Tower 22 from the south, but the watch team — and a powerful surveillance camera — was focused on the friendly drone as it came in to land, the report says." My guess would be that the landing time of the friendly drone was routine, and the attack was timed to coincide with that activity. No one noticed the drone until it was heard shortly before impact: "At 5:35 a.m., the investigation says, a low whirring sound, like a lawn mower, could be heard — and then a fiery blast."
The inbound drone was detected, but there was a “failure to interrogate or assess the unidentified aircraft.” Making things worse, a friendly drone was landing at the base as the enemy drone was inbound. "A minute later, the screen pinged, showing an unknown object approaching Tower 22 from the south, but the watch team — and a powerful surveillance camera — was focused on the friendly drone as it came in to land, the report says." My guess would be that the landing time of the friendly drone was routine, and the attack was timed to coincide with that activity. No one noticed the drone until it was heard shortly before impact: "At 5:35 a.m., the investigation says, a low whirring sound, like a lawn mower, could be heard — and then a fiery blast."
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There appear to be several failures by the troops and their equipment that led to the success of the attacks. While some were related to equipment, the failure to be alert to situational awareness proved to be critical. One of the things that is needed in this situation is equipment that can tell the troops the difference between US drones and enemy drones.
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