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US Army's 7th Infantry Division Reorganizes, Eyes Drone Swarms to Overwhelm Rivals

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • The U.S. Army's Pacific Army has reorganized its 7th Infantry Division, integrating it with the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force to form the 7th Infantry Division and Pacific Multi-Domain Command.
  • The new command aims to leverage a large number of drones for saturation attacks, overwhelming enemy defenses with sheer numbers, drawing lessons from the Russia-Ukraine war.
  • This restructuring incorporates advanced capabilities like long-range sensing, electronic warfare, cyber operations, and information warfare alongside traditional maneuver capabilities.

The U.S. Army's Pacific command has restructured its traditional 7th Infantry Division, merging it with the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force to create the "7th Infantry Division and Pacific Multi-Domain Command" (7th ID MDC-PAC). This move reflects lessons learned from modern warfare, particularly the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has blurred the lines between front and rear areas.

The future hope is to use a large number of drones to launch saturation attacks, overwhelming enemy defense systems with numerical superiority.

— Major General Bernard J. HarringtonExplaining the strategic goals of the newly formed 7th Infantry Division and Pacific Multi-Domain Command.

Major General Bernard J. Harrington, commander of the new unit, stated that the division aims to overwhelm enemy defense systems through saturation attacks using a large volume of drones. He highlighted the evolving nature of warfare, where any location can be subject to reconnaissance and attack. The integration allows the division to possess not only traditional maneuver capabilities but also advanced functions such as long-range sensing, long-range strike, electronic warfare, cyber operations, and information warfare.

In modern warfare, there are no truly safe rear areas; any location can be subject to reconnaissance and attack.

— Major General Bernard J. HarringtonDescribing the changing nature of the battlefield based on recent conflicts.

Harrington elaborated on the strategic use of drones, including reconnaissance, long-range attack platforms, electronic warfare drones, and decoys. Decoy drones, he explained, can confuse enemy sensors and misdirect their responses, forcing them to expend limited anti-air missile resources. Electronic warfare drones can disrupt enemy systems, enhancing the effectiveness of other drones. The sheer quantity of drones is intended to create saturation pressure on enemy air defense systems.

Decoy drones can confuse enemy sensors and misdirect enemy judgment, forcing the opponent to expend limited anti-aircraft missile and interception resources.

— Major General Bernard J. HarringtonDetailing the specific roles and benefits of different types of drones in future operations.

While the U.S. Central Command has deployed low-cost suicide drones in past conflicts, Harrington declined to specify the types of drones the new unit will operate. He also noted the challenge of integrating drones from multiple manufacturers and the need for close industry collaboration to bridge the gap between sensing and strike capabilities, a situation he described as "seeing further than hitting."

Electronic warfare drones can shield enemy systems and improve the combat effectiveness of other drones.

— Major General Bernard J. HarringtonExplaining the tactical advantages of electronic warfare capabilities in drone operations.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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