Writing in the Scandanavian Journal of Military Studies, Matthieu J. Guitton, a professor at Canada’s Laval University details how militaries can implement countermeasures against drones and drone strikes.

Drones are not without weaknesses. Several strategies can be used by soldiers to disable or destroy enemy drones. However, no solution is perfect, and countermeasures can be developed to counter these countermeasures. Thus, optimal anti-drone strategies should combine several approaches in order to insure maximal efficiency of anti-drone units.

These countermeasures should include: direct fire, hunting drones, missiles, laser weapons, microwave weapons, electronic jamming, a defensive drone swarm. This will necessitate a specialized military unit trained in countering drone swarms which has the technological expertise necessary to combat drone swarms.

Guitton explains the training of these specialized units need to consider the characteristics of their target: they are highly mobile, can deploy quickly and penetrate advanced lines before being detected. The countering units must therefore be deployed quickly and be able to disengage quickly to shift from battlefield to battlefield.  These units also need be at home in all types of battlefields — high density urban areas or water/land interfaces. This should include not only spatial mobility but also conceptual mobility.

Drones use a large number of diverse sensors so countering drone swarms should be as stealthy as possible. Anti-drone unit operators can experience a great deal of stress and they should be given the psychological support to cope with it.

Counter-UAV defense, Guitton argues is “not just about technology, but about people and organizations as well. Therefore, solutions are not to be found on the purely technological side, but have to include the human dimension. Counter-drone optimal strategies will rely on small, specialized units with a hybrid expertise in technology and combat skills, highly mobile, and able to rapidly respond to crisis. Such units should be able to quickly deploy on the battlefield. This would not only increase the efficiency of the response, but also allow major economies of scale – as deploying a specialized unit is more cost-sensitive than mobilizing a large, but unspecialized battalion.”

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Top 3 Takeaways:

Nations face an imminent threat of attack from drone swarms.

Militaries must prepare specialized units to combat drone swarms on and off the battlefield.

Countering drone swarms requires not just technological expertise but psychological training as well.