Field of Drones

75th U.S. Army Reserve Innovation Command Tech Assessment Team evaluates innovative military industry technology including UAS, C-UAS, detection, and contested logistics capabilities at Northern Strike 26-2

CAMP GRAYLING, Mich.-The first of two Technology Assessment Teams from the 75th U.S. Army Reserve Innovation Command observed, validated, tested and assessed over 20 different types of military technology in their role as the U.S. Army Reserve Chief Innovation Office, Aug. 3-8, 2026, during the annual Northern Strike 26-2 training exercise, held across theMichigan National Guard's National All-Domain Warfighting Center, Aug. 1-15, 2026.

Their mission was to engage industry partners and support test and experimentation events to inform future Army and Army Reserve requirements.

They captured and disseminated objective learnings to support force design updates for warfighting functions relevant to key U.S. Army Reserve Command and U.S. Army Training and Transformation Command stakeholders.

"The 75th U.S. Army Reserve Innovation Command's 'North Star' is to accelerate technology adoption for the United States Army, Army Reserve, the Joint Force, and our allies and partners around the world," said Maj. Nehal Mehta, officer in charge, Tech Assessment Team 1, Detachment 6, Support Group, 75th USARIC. "Participating in Operation Northern Strike gave us a rare opportunity to engage a wide range of industry partners and identify compelling solutions to current Army and Army Reserve challenges.

"Camp Grayling's recent designation as a National Range for Deep Uncrewed Aerial Systems Training and an Army Test and Evaluation Command premier test range made it an ideal test and evaluation environment for the full range of UAS (Group 1 to Group 3), counter-UAS, and detection capabilities," he added.

Northern Strike 26-2: An Annual Combined Joint Training Event

NS 26-2 is one of the U.S. military's largest reserve component readiness exercises and is the Michigan Army National Guard's signature annual combined joint training event, hosted at Camp Grayling, Michigan.

"Our Detachment's enduring mission is human-machine integration for unmanned aerial systems," said Maj. Andrew Tindall, innovation officer, DET 6, SG, 75th USARIC. "Participating in Northern Strike gave us direct exposure to emerging and proven UAS / Counter-UAS capabilities and will accelerate our efforts to support both T2COM and OCAR."

The NADWC spans Michigan's Northern Lower Peninsula, encompassing the capabilities of the Camp Grayling Maneuver Training Center and the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center and their combined ranges and airspace.

NS 26-2 included more than 9,000 military personnel from 36 states and territories and five international participants, including the United Kingdom, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and a U.S. Indo-Pacific Command partner for realistic training, hyper-focused on real world scenarios set in a multi-domain training environment.

Participants conducted training focused on Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control, Combined Arms Live-Fire Exercises, Cyberspace and Electromagnetic Activities, Defensive Cyberspace Operations, homeland defense and force protection training with UAS, C-UAS, and contested logistics capabilities to build military readiness for large-scale combat operations.

75th USARIC Tech Assessment Team's NS 26-2 week 1 mission

The 75th USARIC Soldiers' mission at NS 26-2 was to provide data analysis and observational support to capture assessments of cutting-edge innovative military industry technology and its relevance to key Army and USAR priorities while also noting key learning demands from general technical experimentation with a learning domain collection matrix.

The 75th USARIC Soldiers saw a range of innovative technologies in action and displayed, including tethered drones and untethered drones of all makes, models, shapes and sizes as well as C-UAS, radio frequency jammers and autonomous water borne aircraft.

There were many industry partner engagements highlighting their technology and equipment through hands-on demonstrations and experimentation.

"As our team, we have looked at approximately fifteen to twenty different technologies and adjacent to probably another thirty across the vendor space that's out here," said Sgt. 1st Class Ben Downing, innovation noncommissioned officer, DET 6, SG, 75th USARIC.

The pool of industry partners ranged from established companies with current joint force customers to early-stage startups.

The 75th USARIC team directly engaged 21 companies, spanning providers of: Group 1-3 UAS platforms; C-UAS capabilities (e.g., jamming guns and active/passive detection systems); autonomy software; intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance sensors (e.g., synthetic aperture radar); and contested logistics, sustainment and casualty evacuation focused robotics and software.

The NS 26-2 environment allowed participants to have maximum exposure to a broad cross-section of technology and company maturity during a large scale combat operation training exercise.

A Field of Drones, the "CAGE" and a "Flying Basket"

Each day, the 75th USARIC Soldiers typically started at the UAS and C-UAS Controlled Airspace Geospatial Environment, called the "CAGE" at the Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center.

The "CAGE" is a designated area for the innovative military technology industry to run UAS and C-UAS tests/experiments to expedite the learning curve and get their advanced protection and ISR technology into the hands of the warfighters faster, according to Chief Warrant Officer 2 Aric Petersen, supervisor, Tactical-UAS Platoon, 837th Brigade Engineer Battalion, Army National Guard.

"It was good [interacting with the 75th USARIC] " said Sgt. Ryan Drum, Detachment 1, Company D, T-UAS Platoon, 837th BEB, ANG.

Drum demonstrated how to fly a drone for the 75th USARIC team's observation at the "CAGE."

"I had the opportunity to talk to the 75th [USARIC] and teach them the UAS platform that we're using out here," Drum said. "We got to use some technology brought in to drone bust these drones while they're in the air, flying around. I got to talk to them about the different opportunities that the UAS platforms can do, what they can fly, what kind of missions they can complete. We have a lot out here. "

The 75th USARIC team had a lot to observe, evaluate and test during the first week of NS 26-2.

"We brought a cross-functional team to observe some of the new drone technologies that are available and some of the working prototypes that are being used here at Camp Grayling," said Sgt. 1st Class Ben Downing, innovation noncommissioned officer, DET 6, SG, 75th USARIC.

75th USARIC's extensive time at the "CAGE's" open-range grass field provided multiple targets of opportunity to engage UAS, C-UAS, and detection providers.

This post has a large geographical area that's available to perform a variety of kinetic, non-kinetic experimentations, Downing added.

Several technologies mapped directly to Army Reserve-specific problem sets: examples included distributed UAS detection for units without organic protection, logistics resupply and casualty evacuation.

"It's also a very low signal environment, which allows full functionality of some communication packages that are available, especially when it comes to monitoring the spectrum needed for counter-UAS," Downing said.

The 75th Soldiers were extremely motivated and interested in the tech including technology that is rooted in the radio frequency spectrum, said an account manager for an industry partner.

The 75th USARIC team was also exposed to, tested and evaluated a Soldier worn UAS passive detection system that gives them situational awareness of any incoming UAS, and a Soldier carried handheld UAS drone RF jammer.

"[The 75th personnel] asked really good questions said the account manager for an industry partner. "The things that really shape the acquisition of this kind of tech, because, you know, this environment, the environment's changing almost on a weekly basis, with not just UAS, but counter-UAS, as well. They were great.

"So, we do RF detection classification, tracking and defeat," he added. "It's good to see a staff officer out here and take an accountability for the problem. And really trying to fix it. So, to see the Army Reserve tackle this problem set is great."

Other NS 26-2 live training environments, ranges and observation posts enabled additional industry partners to demonstrate technology under real operational conditions instead of in a tradeshow type setting.

One scenario involved a Switchblade 600: a one-way attack loitering munition launch during a live fire with a vertical takeoff and landing UAS known as a VTOL providing ISR in support of the 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade trainers.

At a different location, a UAS called "the Flying Basket," demonstrated a sling load capability and possible CASEVAC applications and can possibly be used to deliver blood resupply shipments and payloads to remote locations in isolated and austere environments.

NS26-2 is a purpose driven mission and fits right inside the wheelhouse of our synch with 75th USARIC's task and purpose, added Downing.

Engagements ranged from live-fires and flight demonstrations to technical exchanges and static displays, with a mix of new participants and returning participants.

"We also had the opportunity to control and utilize and actually participate in some of the live drone jamming in conjunction with the Michigan National Guard, on site," Downing said. "So, everyone was able to get hands on."

The learning curve was short and quick and given the right equipment and tools in order to be able to competently operate some of these drone assets he added.

"We're able to leverage the cross functional teams that we have, with the combined military and specialized civilian expertise, in order to look at the viability, and operational, aspects of many of the platforms that are out here, Downing said.

Engagement quality was generally high: most sessions included founders, senior engineers, or business development leads able to speak to both technical details and acquisition pathways; this resulted in more effective engagements, said Mehta.

75th USARIC NS 26-2 Objectives: Purpose Driven Deliverables

Reporting deliverables and disseminating to the relevant Army and USAR stakeholders thru a 75th USARIC After Action Review and technical white paper report with their findings and recommendations with supporting data "at speed," is critical, according to Mehta.

Camp Grayling was also recently designated as a National Range for deep UAS training and a hub for Army UAS innovation, making it an ideal environment for technology identification/evaluation, he added.

The engagement was highly effective and an efficient use of personnel time and training resources for his Soldiers' annual training exercise, according to Mehta.

"It was good," Drum said. "It's nice to know that there's a group of people out there that are checking out on all this equipment here at Northern Shrike. That's new, and the technology's advancing.

Having a group of people like the 75th USARIC team out here checking this out, and possibly procuring it, for use is, it's a great thing to have, he added.

During the 75th USARIC's work observing the UAS platforms and C-UAS technologies and systems displayed and demonstrated at NS 26-2, "they got to see everything from, not just the frequency, but the AI [Artificial Intelligence] stacks that are embedded within them," Downing said.

The NS 26-2 technology lanes' objectives were met during the event by exposing operational units to emerging technologies across technology readiness levels to inform tactics, techniques and procedures according to the 75th USARIC's final report.

In terms of our Command's fifth line of effort, we are the U.S. Army Reserve, Chief Innovation Office, "that's one of the core capabilities and attributes of the 75th USARIC, is that we are able to provide that ancillary data," said Downing.

"It's not the entire picture, but we do give the feedback that we gain from when we deploy our cross-functional teams out to these sites and I feel that we produce a very good product, which will give our leadership the better tools on which to make the best decisions that they can," he added.

Another objective is to provide industry partners with operator-level feedback on system performance and employment in a realistic training environment according to Mehta.

This enabled the 75th USARIC Soldiers to observe a wide range of technology providers directly in an applied context, evaluate capabilities against approved Army and Army Reserve capability gaps, and apply observations to inform possible future requirements.

Industry Day- What Industry Received

Industry partners embedded and employed technology directly with joint and allied partnered Active Duty, Reserve, and National Guard units, creating a live, applied training environment rather than a static demo.

This approach gave operational units and 75th USARIC observers a chance to test and evaluate technology under realistic conditions, while giving industry partners real-time operator feedback.

A core line of effort at NS 26-2 was industry engagement and field testing of emerging technologies, led by the Northern Strike Industry Engagement team of Command Sgt. Maj. Bryan Goff, associate director, and Mr. Kevin Palmatier, both with the Army Joint Experimentation Warfighting Lab at CGJMTC.

The 75th USARIC's squad fell in with this team to engage industry partners whose technology aligns with Army and Army Reserve capability gaps and priority areas, with the goal of informing requirements for possible future acquisitions.

"Northern Strike gave us a firsthand look at the full spectrum of UAS capabilities and applications, ranging from low-cost, expendable, Group 1 UAS platforms to highly sophisticated, Group 3 systems with advanced payload capacities," said Capt. Cole Johnson, innovation officer, DET 6, SG, 75th USARIC. "The breadth of capabilities on display is evidence that industry partners are moving quickly to identify capability gaps and deliver tailored solutions to close them."

"The industry vendors received direct, real-time operator feedback and in multiple instances, validation of a specific tactic, technique or procedure under operational conditions," he added.

They also gained exposure to senior U.S. military officials and allied partner nation stakeholders.

"Multiple industry partners noted that the return on investment or ROI of participating in Northern Strike is high because of the access it provides to potential international military customers," said Mehta.

Going Forward: The Future of 75th USARIC at Northern Strike 27-2

NS 26-2 participants received hands-on exposure to a wide range of emerging UAS, C-UAS, autonomy and sustainment technologies directly relevant to Army and Army Reserve priority areas with some of the industry data points being used to inform future requirements, according to Mehta.

"This has been outstanding success, and a very solid platform to build on for the foundation of continuing to support the Northern Strike mission," Downing said. "What we're going to take away from this, is we'll compile this data and analysis , prepare for the next iteration of Northern Strike, and make sure the new 75th USARIC team are prepared for next year."

We'll have some 75th USARIC assets that are going to be involved with the next iteration of Northern Strike, Downing added.

"The 75th USARIC plans to continue supporting Northern Strike through deep partnership with the Northern Strike IE team over the years to come as industry's presence during the event continues to evolve and scale," said Mehta.

The Northern Strike IE team's advance work to support credentialing, range access, and scheduling set strong conditions for execution and directly enabled the 75th USARIC observers to focus on industry engagement rather than logistics, added Mehta.

"The 75th U.S. Army Reserve Innovation Command played an instrumental role in amplifying our industry engagement and technology evaluation efforts at exercise Northern Strike," said Goff. "Over the past few years, we have built significant momentum with industry partners, and we look forward to building on this foundation through continued partnership with the 75th USARIC in the years to come."

(Editor's Note: The 75th U.S. Army Reserve Innovation Command enables Army Reserve continuous transformation across the innovation operational environment through structured innovation lifecycle processes to shape enterprise DOTMLPF-P solutions to Army Reserve requirements. The command leverages their unique blend of civilian acquired skills to synchronize continuous transformation efforts that directly impact the Army Reserve's ability to meet the challenges of Large Scale Combat Operations with manned and trained units.

The 75th USARIC is integrated into the Army continuous transformation enterprise, with Reserve led innovation efforts shaping Army capability requirements; maintaining a trained and ready force capable of supporting operational requirements and all phases of the innovation lifecycle. The 75th USARIC delivers measurable impacts to innovation problems through experimentation, analysis, and collaboration across components, services, academia, and industry. If you are interested in joining this unique and exciting command, send a one to two paragraph narrative summary of applicable background, with a recent resume or CV, to [email protected] or apply at www.usar.army.mil/75thIC/JoinOurTeam/.)