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Marine Corps Creates Robotics Group and Counter-Drone Team
The Marine Corps is forming the Marine Corps Robotics Integration Group to standardize drone training. It is also launching a counter-drone team to test defensive tactics against small unmanned systems.
Jul 11, 7:42 AM·1m read1 source
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The Marine Corps is establishing the Marine Corps Robotics Integration Group to turn battlefield drone lessons into standardized training across the force. Business Insider reported that the new group will serve as the service's central hub for training on small drones and counter-drone systems.
The Corps is also launching the Marine Corps Counter Drone Team to test emerging counter-drone technologies and tactics.
This defensive unit follows the offensive drone team the service created last year. Lt. Gen. " Maj. Gen. Mark Clingan, who oversees Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command, described a recent exercise at the service's annual symposium in April 2026.
"The Marines had a really difficult time going downrange and dealing with the drones," he said. Clingan added that "the battlefield continues to demonstrate that small unmanned aircraft systems are no longer niche capabilities" and that drones are now indispensable for reconnaissance and offensive strikes.
The Corps is determining which troops make the best drone pilots, how to standardize training pipelines, how to differentiate between friendly and hostile drones, and how to defeat drones on the move.
A training event at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, took place on May 4, 2026.
