09/10/2025
In recent years, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have presented significant challenges to combat casualty care for medical responders. Initially designed for surveillance and targeted operations, these systems now introduce direct hazards to personnel, complicating standard evacuation and treatment protocols. In current operational environments, adversary UAS—frequently low-cost, modified commercial drones—maintain persistent overwatch, identifying medics and casualties. Equipped with explosives, these systems can deploy munitions on response teams, delaying interventions and converting survivable wounds into lethal outcomes. A notable tactic involves the “double-tap” approach, where a primary strike is succeeded by a follow-on attack on arriving responders, intentionally escalating risks to medical personnel and increasing overall casualties.
In addition to physical threats, UAS substantially contribute to evacuation timelines, extending from brief intervals to prolonged periods while awaiting secure conditions or implementing countermeasures, such as signal jamming. This evolution necessitates a structured reassessment of “care under fire” phases, incorporating counter-UAS strategies into core training drills to enhance preparedness.
The CTOMS Training Department has incorporated counter-UAS elements into tactical medicine curricula to address these challenges. Practicing action-on drills featuring simulated UAS swarms within realistic tactical settings in indoor, urban, or mountainous environments to master proficiency. Participants will engage in individual UAS evasion by utilizing ground features to avoid detection and attacks, reducing thermal signatures when possible, and employing personal electronic warfare to lower emissions. Such drills and practices enhance individual and unit-level skills, facilitating effective casualty management in UAS-prevalent scenarios and increasing mission success.
Have counter-drone measures been integrated into your training program for combat casualty care?