WASHINGTON, United States: U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced plans on August 13 to establish Task Force Falcon Strike, a multinational unmanned strike force operating across the Middle East.
CENTCOM said the new force would integrate strike systems operating in the air, on the sea and below the surface. U.S. personnel and military members from participating regional countries would operate the systems.
The command said consultations and formal invitations to potential participants had begun. However, CENTCOM did not identify which countries had been invited or agreed to join.
CENTCOM said the participating forces would work toward what it described as a unified, multi-domain deterrent across the region.
Task Force Falcon Strike follows Task Force Scorpion Strike, which CENTCOM established nine months earlier. The command described Scorpion Strike as the U.S. military’s first dedicated one-way attack-drone squadron in the Middle East.
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Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, said the new initiative was intended to deepen military integration among participating forces.
“We are collectively stronger when we integrate and deploy new capabilities together,” Cooper said.
US and participating regional military personnel would operate the systems. The command did not identify any partner countries.
