CAP Supports Air National Guard Anti-Drone Training
Military bases around the country have been subject to frequent incursions by uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), otherwise known as drones. Civil Air Patrol is helping the Air Force train for its growing mission to detect drone flights and quickly locate the offending operators.
A case in point is a recent training and evaluation mission in South Dakota this month. Members of CAP’s South Dakota Wing flew ten drone flights for the South Dakota Air National Guard 114th Fighter Wing as part of a larger Combat Readiness Inspection (CRI).
“The ability to execute the mission under increasing drone threats is an important skill tested during the CRI,” said Senior Master Sgt. Daniel Malmberg, plans and programs superintendent with the 114th Security Forces Squadron. “Realistic scenarios allowed us to pressure test competence in both simple and complex tasks while dealing with this modern battlefield threat.”
Some drone flights in restricted airspace near US military bases are by hobbyists unaware of the restrictions or not intending harm, but some have been by drug cartels and foreign agents. In Ukraine, similar drones have been used as offensive weapons.
“As the volunteer auxiliary of the Air Force, CAP is part of the Air Force Total Force,” said CAP Col. Mike Beason, director of CAP’s South Dakota Wing UAS program and UAS liaison with the fighter wing. “CAP in South Dakota has a long partnership with the 114th Fighter Wing, including our airplanes serving as targets for F16 intercept training and surveying air guard low-level training routes. We were pleased to accept the request to support this drone training because it is a new category of how South Dakota CAP members can support the Air Guard, this time with our small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems.”
The weeklong Combat Readiness Inspection tested the fighter wing’s ability to shift from normal operations to a wartime posture in many areas, including the drone response, while generating, defending and sustaining combat airpower in what is called a contested and degraded environment. The CAP support provided a realistic training opportunity for the 114th Fighter Wing to evaluate coordination, communication and response procedures during simulated unmanned aircraft activity near the installation. For operational security reasons, this article does not detail the 114th Fighter Wing’s counter-UAS response procedures or capabilities.
“The drone training provided by CAP during the 114 Fighter Wing’s CRI is a logical step to deepen the relationship and provide training focused on entire base defense, not just training for the fighter squadron,” said SDANG Lt. Col. Patrick M. Cassidy, the fighter wing’s inspector general. “This also presents the very real asymmetric threat that the US military faces across the globe.”
