On 13 August, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the formation of ‘the first-ever multinational strike drone task force’.
“The unit, known as Task Force Falcon Strike ( ’ Falcon – ed.) will utilise kamikaze drones operating above, on and below the water, and will be operated by military support personnel from the US and regional partners,” the CENTCOM statement said.
Whilst Washington has begun consultations with its Middle Eastern partners on joining the initiative, US Navy Admiral Brad Cooper noted that the joint deployment of these new forces “will help us rapidly capitalise on the new opportunities on the horizon”.
“The US Armed Forces have many strong partnerships and friends in this region,” said Cooper. “We are stronger together when we join forces and deploy new forces jointly.”
CENTCOM noted that the launch of the new group took place nine months after the creation of Task Force ‘Scorpion’, the first unit of US strike drones in the Middle East.
Following the formal integration of regional partners, Task Force ‘Falcon’ will expand the capabilities for deploying strike drones across the Middle East, transforming them ‘into a unified, multi-domain, multinational deterrent force’, CENTCOM stated.