US Central Command (CENTCOM) has established its first multi-domain, multinational task force focused on attack drones.
Called Task Force Falcon Strike, the unit will use one-way attack drones, including unmanned systems from above, on, and below the sea, operated by US military support staff along with regional partners, CENTCOM said. It has not yet been identified which nations will join the force.
This unit follows CENTCOM’s establishment of Task Force Scorpion Strike in December as the US military continues to integrate unmanned technology. It was the US military’s first dedicated one-way attack drone squadron in the Middle East.
Scorpion Strike quickly demonstrated the operational potential of low-cost unmanned systems, achieving milestones such as the first launch of an aerial attack drone from a US Navy warship last December and conducting strikes during Operation Epic Fury and on Iranian port facilities in July.
Falcon Strike aims to take those capabilities further by integrating unmanned systems not only in the air but also on and below the sea.
The United States Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) has been significantly stepping up the integration of expendable attack drones into naval operations. NAVCENT’s area of responsibility includes the Arabian Gulf, Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, and parts of the Indian Ocean, a region where Iranian naval forces and proxy groups like the Houthis in Yemen have repeatedly targeted commercial shipping, sinking several ships and taking others hostage.
Though the Americans have launched missiles from naval vessels, launching one‑way attack drones from ships gives the US new operational flexibility, allowing rapid response to threats across multiple maritime corridors, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Regional drone force
CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper emphasized that the new task force is designed to harness innovation emerging among US allies in the region.
“Task Force Falcon Strike will expand on Scorpion Strike’s success given the tremendous innovation happening among our regional allies and partners,” he said. “Integrating and deploying our new capabilities together will help us rapidly realize the new possibilities that are on the horizon.”
Personnel from US Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT), headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, will lead Falcon Strike. SOCCENT previously spearheaded Scorpion Strike and oversees special operations across CENTCOM’s 21-country area of responsibility, spanning the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia.
The launch of Falcon Strike comes amid ongoing regional conflict involving Iran and its allied militias, where drones, both aerial and maritime, continue to play an increasingly central role. CENTCOM has used several unmanned platforms in combat for the first time in recent months, including the Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (LUCAS), unmanned surface vessels, and other systems modeled on Iran’s Shahed drones.