HOHENFELS, Germany, August 31, 2026 — Polish special forces are taking part in a U.S.-led military exercise in southern Germany designed to train troops to move and operate in areas heavily monitored by drones. The exercise was developed by U.S. Army Green Berets using lessons from the war in Ukraine.
The training began on August 28 at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center near Hohenfels and covers a roughly 3,000-square-kilometer (1,100-square-mile) training area. It is the first time a NATO ally has participated in this specific exercise. U.S. special forces previously conducted the scenario twice earlier this year.
Under the scenario, a U.S. Army airborne infantry unit parachutes into the Hohenfels training area and establishes a simulated front line. Polish troops must cross the positions without being detected before traveling about 100 kilometers (60 miles) north to the Grafenwöhr Training Area, where they must conduct a simulated drone strike against a target.
The route passes through forests, farmland, villages, farms and populated areas. Polish operators must avoid detection by military forces as well as civilians, surveillance cameras and local police reports. In earlier versions of the exercise, U.S. special forces removed their uniforms to blend into the civilian environment.
U.S. forces acting as the opposing force use drones to search for the Polish team. Previous versions involved more than 100 drones, while military police units with dogs could also be sent after troops who were detected. Within the exercise, soldiers who are located can be considered “captured or killed.”
A U.S. Army Green Beret officer said the exercise attempts to replicate battlefield effects that Russia and Ukraine have had to overcome during the war.
The training is part of a wider U.S. effort to adapt to drone warfare. Through the Army's Transforming in Contact (TiC) program, the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division tested more than 150 unmanned systems during its deployment in Europe, including systems for reconnaissance, electronic warfare, command and control and mobile operations.
The U.S. military has also established Joint Interagency Task Force 401 (JIATF 401) to focus on countering unmanned aircraft systems and accelerating the integration of counter-drone technologies. The task force studies drone warfare experiences from Ukraine and European countries.
Separately, a specialized U.S. Army unit in Europe that had been studying drone warfare was recently directed to return to its primary role as an airborne infantry battalion. The unit, drawn from the 173rd Airborne Brigade, had experimented with drone tactics and systems based on observations from Ukraine and is expected to report its findings to the Army.
The U.S. Army plans to conduct the Hohenfels drone-evasion exercise several times a year, with special forces from additional NATO countries expected to participate. U.S. officials have indicated that most of NATO's 32 member states are likely to show interest in the training.
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