La proliferaci\u00f3n de peque\u00f1os drones comerciales y su empleo en los escenarios de conflicto actuales, es una tendencia creciente y que genera gran preocupaci\u00f3n en los l\u00edderes de organizaciones militares. La facilidad de obtenci\u00f3n de estas tecnolog\u00edas por parte de grupos irregulares, su relaci\u00f3n costo \/ efecto y la posibilidad de modificarlos para su empleo como sistemas letales, son aspectos que favorecen ampliamente al atacante. A modo de ejemplo, en Siria se encontraron \u201cTalleres de montaje\u201d de drones de la organizaci\u00f3n extremista ISIS, modificados para su empleo como IED (Improvised Explosive Device).<\/p>\n
Aerial technologies once viewed as hobbyist toys have triggered alarms at U.S. Central Command.<\/p>\n
The proliferation of small, cheap drones is the \u201cmost concerning tactical development\u201d since the rise of the improvised explosive device in Iraq, Marine Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, who helms CENTCOM, said in prepared remarks at the Middle East Institute on Monday.<\/p>\n
The concerns are amplified by the lack of a dependable countermeasure against those drones, according to McKenzie.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not just talking about large unmanned platforms, which are the size of a conventional fighter jet that we can see and deal with by normal air defense means. I\u2019m talking about ones you can go out and buy at Costco right now for $1,000,\u201d McKenzie said.<\/p>\n
Commercial drones are relatively inexpensive and easy for militant groups and criminal organizations to modify to fit their needs.<\/p>\n
Videos from battlefields<\/a> in Iraq, Syria and Ukraine have shown the potential havoc that small drones<\/a> can bring to unsuspecting ground forces, including scouting for call-for-fire missions and dropping bomblets<\/a> on exposed positions. Syrian fighters even found crude ISIS drone factories<\/a> in areas liberated from the extremist group.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now we\u2019re on the wrong side of the cost imposition curve because this technology favors the attacker, not the defender,\u201d McKenzie said. \u201cBut we\u2019re working very hard to fix this and flatten the curve. We have a variety of systems in the field already.\u201d<\/p>\n McKenzie added that the problem has the \u201cdirect attention\u201d of leaders at the Pentagon. The Army, which is charged with overseeing the Defense Department\u2019s programs to counter small drones, published a new strategy<\/a> outlining the threat in January.<\/p>\n Most of the military\u2019s current counter drone capabilities are electronic warfare systems. Many use lasers or microwaves to disrupt the communication link between drones and their operators.<\/p>\n But the counter drone strategy warns that swarms of small aircraft operating independently, facial recognition algorithms, artificial intelligence and high-speed fifth generation cell networks will challenge existing countermeasures. Swarming drones clouding an airspace could quickly overwhelm troops\u2019 current weapons.<\/p>\n Long-term, the Army is pushing for a networked approach, using artificial intelligence and machine learning<\/a> to find and track possible threats. The Army\u2019s Fires Center of Excellence at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, is also expected to build a school for the joint force focused on fighting small drones<\/a> by 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cThose are all steps in the right direction, but it worries me because I think what we\u2019re seeing is the emergence of a new component of warfare,\u201d McKenzie said Monday. \u201cPart of a system of systems, and how we work our way through this challenge will be closely watched by our competitors, and our adversaries.\u201d<\/p>\n