FORT DRUM, N.Y. — As unmanned aircraft systems reshape modern warfare, the 10th Mountain Division is positioning itself at the forefront of the Army’s effort to train Soldiers to fight, survive and adapt on a drone?saturated battlefield.
The division’s Mountain Innovation Systems Lab is producing drone components on post, reducing reliance on external suppliers and accelerating experimentation. Using those systems, the newly established Counter?Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) Academy trained Soldiers at Fort Drum from May 11–15, 2026, marking a major step in preparing units for emerging threats.
To meet challenges posed by near?peer adversaries, the Army is expanding training programs that give Soldiers hands?on experience with drone operations, communications, and counter?UAS tactics. Leaders say the 10th Mountain Division is helping lead that effort.
“We’re teaching them how to do counter?drone training at local training areas and out at the range,” said Lt. Col. Max Ferguson, the division’s director of operations. “At the end of the day, the course was inspired by the division commander’s question of how we make counter-drone training as habitual as going to the M4 range.”
The C?UAS Academy serves as a bridge between innovation and execution. Capt. Malachi Bouch, an officer with the Innovation Lab, said the goal is to give Soldiers the knowledge and tools to bring counter-UAS training back to their units.
“The objective is to equip them with some of the basic knowledge, resources and tools so they can go back to their units and incorporate counter?UAS training into every aspect of what they are already doing,” Bouch said.
During the course, Soldiers learn how drones operate, how they are used tactically, and how to maintain and integrate them into maneuver formations. Ferguson said the training helps remove the mystery surrounding unmanned systems.
“It’s demystifying drones but also becoming aware of what we need to be aware of,” he said. “A key takeaway from the course is that it’s training you how to teach counter?drone training.”
The academy includes instruction on detection, defeat methods, concealment, battle drills and survivability, reinforced through practical exercises.
“The best way we’re going to learn holistically as an Army is by getting drones into people’s hands and training force-on-force,” Bouch said.
The 10th Mountain Division, long recognized for its adaptability and effectiveness in austere environments, is now combining those strengths with emerging technology to maintain overmatch against future threats.
“The 10th Mountain Division is at the forefront of counter-drone training, in large part because of our operational experience in OIR and on the southern border,” Ferguson said, referring to Operation Inherent Resolve and Joint Task Force Southern Border.
“We’re taking what we know and advancing that knowledge through this training. This is the beginning of shifting culture to where counter-drone training is something we do.”
As warfare evolves, Army leaders say success will depend on units capable of integrating technology, adaptability and tactical expertise faster than any adversary. Through the combined efforts of the Innovation Lab and the C-UAS Academy, the 10th Mountain Division is working to ensure its Soldiers are ready for that future, building the systems, training the force, and shaping the next generation of warfighting capability.
SPC Isaiah Mount
