CENTCOM Command: Working to Establish First Multinational Drone Task Force

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Thursday that it is working to establish the first multinational joint task force dedicated to offensive unmanned aerial vehicles. In a statement, CENTCOM said the new task force, currently being formed, is named “Falcon Strike” and employs single-use offensive drones, including unmanned systems operating from the air, on the surface of the sea, and underwater, operated and managed by U.S. military support crews and regional partners.

The statement added that the announcement of “Falcon Strike” comes nine months after CENTCOM established the “Scorpion Strike” task force, which is the first U.S. military squadron dedicated to single-use offensive drones in the Middle East. It noted that “Scorpion Strike” achieved significant operational milestones in a short period, including conducting the first launch of an offensive aerial drone from a U.S. Navy warship last December.

The force used single-use unmanned aerial systems during “Epic Storm” operations against Iran, as well as in strikes targeting Iranian port facilities last July using unmanned surface attack vessels.

In his statement, CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper said that “Falcon Strike” will build on the success of “Scorpion Strike,” given the tremendous innovation occurring among our allies and regional partners. Cooper added that “integrating and jointly deploying our new capabilities will help us rapidly realize new potential.”

He noted that CENTCOM has begun consultations with regional partners and issued formal invitations for them to officially join the “Falcon Strike” task force, aiming to expand offensive drone capabilities throughout the Middle East and form a unified, multi-domain, multinational deterrent force.