PARIS — Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll called for faster acquisition, stronger interoperability and closer cooperation with allies and partners during a statement of intent signing ceremony held June 16, during the second day of Eurosatory 2026. The agreement is intended to expand the Uncrewed Aircraft System Marketplace granting allies and partners access to counter-drone capabilities that have been proven on today’s battlefields.

The ceremony brought together U.S. Army leaders and representatives from NATO Allies including Sweden, Denmark, Norway, France, Poland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy and Lithuania to address one of the most urgent challenges facing modern militaries: how to move faster against the uncrewed aircraft systems threat.

The statement of intent affirms Allied commitment to streamline counter-UAS acquisition and training while helping participating nations identify, evaluate, and field capabilities at the pace required on today’s battlefield.

For Driscoll, the agreement is part of a larger effort to change how the Army connects battlefield needs with industry solutions.

“What we’re fundamentally trying to do here is bring in the same market portals that have made so many companies successful in our country and yours, and just get our government and other governments’ regulation out of the way,” Driscoll said.

Driscoll described the UAS marketplace as a practical way to make acquisition more transparent, responsive, and informed by the Soldiers and operators who use the equipment. He said the model is designed to give allies and partners access to user feedback, allow vendors from participating nations to compete in the same environment, and help governments scale systems that prove effective.

“What we think will work is to allow everyone here to offer their products to Soldiers around the world and us to just listen to Soldiers, get their feedback, and then scale the things that work,” said Driscoll.

Uncrewed aircraft systems continue to reshape the battlefield, creating new requirements for force protection, air defense and rapid adaptation. Small drones, one-way attack systems, and other uncrewed platforms have increased the demand for layered detection, tracking and defeat capabilities that can be fielded quickly and integrated across allied formations.

Driscoll said the challenge is not only acquiring better equipment, but also making sure those systems can work together across nations and services.

“What we know is this inflection point of war is going to require us to create compatible systems,” Driscoll said. “To do things like air defense, we need all of our equipment to be interoperable at a minimum.”

Interoperability was a central theme of the event. Leaders described the effort as more than a procurement initiative, framing it as a way to help allied and partner forces share information, compare capabilities, align requirements, and reduce barriers that can slow the delivery of emerging technologies to the force.

Driscoll pointed to Operation Jailbreak, a U.S. Army effort aimed at improving how Army systems share data, as one example of the service’s work to remove technical barriers. He said the Army reviewed about 100 systems in 30 days and identified a larger requirement to ensure Army equipment can transmit and receive data through common digital interfaces.

The Army is also preparing to apply similar lessons in Europe through the Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative, known as EFDI. Driscoll said the goal is to help vendors build to allied requirements from the beginning, making systems more useful, more compatible, and easier to field.

The marketplace initiative begins with counter-drone systems, but Driscoll described a broader vision that could eventually include drones, radars, sensors, tanks, helicopters and other major capabilities. The long-term goal is to create a trusted environment where allied nations can identify, evaluate and procure equipment more efficiently while giving industry clearer insight into operational demand.

Additionally, the ceremony highlighted the role of industry in helping the Army and its partners keep pace with emerging threats. Driscoll said acquisition reform depends not only on government action, but also on sustained collaboration with companies that can deliver tested, practical capabilities.

Testing was another focus of Driscoll’s remarks. He said the Army is working to expand access to ranges and reduce delays that prevent vendors from rapidly proving their systems. Faster testing is essential to helping governments determine what works and move effective capabilities into the hands of Soldiers and allied forces.

Following the signing, Driscoll linked the agreement to the trust and speed required in modern conflict. He said interoperability will shape how allies work together in the future and described the agreement as a first step toward systems that support decision-making at the speed of war.

Eurosatory, a major international defense and security exhibition, provided a setting for the signing by bringing together military leaders, government officials, and industry representatives from around the world.

Driscoll’s remarks placed the signing within a larger Army modernization effort focused on speed and Soldier-informed innovation. As uncrewed systems continue to evolve, Army leaders said the ability to move quickly with allies and partners will remain central to deterrence, readiness, and operational advantage.

The counter-UAS statement of intent represents an early step in that effort, one focused on reducing friction, expanding cooperation, and helping allied forces move from shared requirements to fielded capability faster.

By MAJ Alexander Watkins

FORT POLK, La. — The Virginia Army National Guard’s Staunton-based 116th Mobile Brigade Combat Team is testing its combat readiness during a Joint Readiness Training Center, or JRTC, rotation May 31 – July 1.

The rotation marks a historic milestone for the brigade and the Army National Guard. The 116th is the first Army National Guard brigade to conduct a JRTC rotation as a mobile brigade combat team, or MBCT, after officially transforming from an infantry brigade combat team to an MBCT in October 2025.

The training gives Soldiers and leaders an opportunity to validate new formations, equipment and tactics in a demanding, large-scale combat environment while preparing for future overseas deployments and domestic response missions.

“Unlike typical annual training, this rotation involves a large-scale combat operations simulation aimed at validating the readiness of brigade-sized units for global missions,” said Col. Arthur S. Moore, commander of the 116th. “This exercise is a key event in a multi-year training cycle and represents a generational opportunity, as many National Guard Soldiers may have this experience only once in their careers.”

About 3,000 Soldiers assigned to the 116th MBCT are participating in the JRTC rotation, along with units from 18 states and territories, three U.S. Army Reserve units and international partners, including members of the Finnish Defense Forces. Virginia and Finland are formally paired through the Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program.

“This premier training event allows the Soldiers and leaders of the 116th to operationalize the new formations and equipment to prepare for upcoming [outside the continental United States] deployments and support domestic missions,” said Brig. Gen. Rusty McGuire, the assistant adjutant general – Army strategic initiatives of the Virginia National Guard and the senior trainer for the JRTC rotation.

The MBCT concept is part of the U.S. Army’s continuous transformation effort to build units that are more agile and lethal. The formation incorporates three infantry battalions, adds a multipurpose company to each battalion and includes a multifunctional reconnaissance company at the brigade level.

The 116th became the first Army National Guard brigade to test and evaluate an approved task organization for an MBCT during its 21-day eXportable Combat Training Capability, or XCTC, rotation in June 2025 at Fort Pickett, Virginia.

Since the XCTC rotation and formal transition to an MBCT, the brigade has prepared for JRTC by fielding and training on new Infantry Squad Vehicles and incorporating new unmanned aircraft systems and electronic warfare capabilities. The brigade has also worked with the Army Research Laboratory to integrate new technology designed to help Soldiers operate on the modern battlefield.

“Our partnership with the Army Research Laboratory is pivotal to the Virginia National Guard’s commitment to modernization and readiness,” McGuire said. “This collaboration ensures our Soldiers are at the forefront of innovation, equipped to counter emerging threats and prepared to excel in overseas deployments. It highlights the vital role our Guard members play in advancing the security of our nation.”

Moore said, “Our brigade is trained and ready to win the first battle alongside the active U.S. Army if our nation calls upon us.”

“JRTC provides the ultimate test of our systems against a world-class opposing force. This ensures that when our Soldiers go to war, they do so with the absolute best preparation,” Moore said.

By Mike Vrabel