U.S. Deploys First National Guard Mobile Brigade With Drone and Electronic Warfare Capabilities to Middle East.

The U.S. Army is sending its new Mobile Brigade Combat Team concept into an operational environment for the first time with the mobilization of about 1,200 Virginia and Kentucky National Guard Soldiers for a CENTCOM deployment supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. The move, announced by Virginia National Guard Public Affairs through DVIDS on September 21, 2026, shifts the 116th MBCT from experimentation and combat-training validation toward real-world employment of a more mobile, sensor-rich force built for faster reconnaissance and battlefield decision-making.

The brigade combines ground maneuver with organic drones, electronic warfare, counter-UAS capabilities and modern command-and-control tools designed to detect threats at greater range and accelerate targeting. Its CENTCOM deployment will provide an operational test of whether this integrated approach can improve surveillance, force protection and distributed operations while generating lessons for the National Guard’s broader transition toward Mobile Brigade Combat Teams.

Related Topic: U.S. Army Demonstrates ULTRA Autonomous Ground Vehicle in Europe to Highlight Future Tactical Mobility

The 116th Mobile Brigade Combat Team is taking the U.S. Army’s emerging mobile force design into an operational CENTCOM mission, integrating unmanned aircraft, electronic warfare, distributed reconnaissance and modern command-and-control capabilities (Picture Source: U.S. Army)

On September 19, 2026, approximately 1,200 Virginia and Kentucky National Guard Soldiers from the 116th Mobile Brigade Combat Team began federal active duty during a departure ceremony in Richmond, Virginia. The deployment is significant because the brigade is heading to the U.S. Central Command area of operations in support of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve and is the first Army National Guard brigade to mobilize under the new Mobile Brigade Combat Team structure. After more than a year of modernization, training and experimentation, the unit is moving from testing a new force design toward an operational mission. According to an official announcement published by Virginia National Guard Public Affairs through DVIDS on September 21, the deployment was planned in advance and follows months of mission preparation.

The 116th’s transformation shows how the U.S. Army is turning lessons from recent conflicts and training exercises into new operational capabilities. The formation officially transitioned from an Infantry Brigade Combat Team to an MBCT in October 2025 and later became the first Army National Guard brigade under the new structure to complete a Joint Readiness Training Center rotation in 2026. In roughly 18 months, the brigade moved through reorganization, equipment fielding, experimentation, major exercises and federal mobilization. The MBCT concept is designed to give commanders a more mobile and connected force supported by modern reconnaissance, command and control, unmanned systems, counter drone technologies and electronic warfare capabilities.

Drones and electronic warfare are an important part of this new structure. The 116th MBCT includes unmanned aerial systems and electronic warfare capabilities within the brigade, while its Multi Function Reconnaissance Company combines traditional scouts with an effects element, an electronic warfare platoon and a UAS platoon. During training, brigade leaders said these capabilities allowed Soldiers to observe areas farther beyond their forward positions and provide commanders with faster information about potential threats. The brigade also tested reconnaissance drones, loitering munitions, counter UAS systems and equipment designed to detect and operate within the electromagnetic spectrum.

The main advantage of the new concept is not one particular weapon or drone, but the ability to connect several capabilities at the same time. During modernization and JRTC training, the brigade worked with systems including Teal Black Widow and Teal 2 reconnaissance drones, Anduril Ghost X, Performance Drone Works C100 and a contractor operated Redwire VXE 30 for longer range reconnaissance. Soldiers also trained with AeroVironment Switchblade loitering munitions. Brigade leaders reported that unmanned aircraft helped units detect opposing forces several kilometers ahead of friendly positions and support mortar fires, while electronic warfare equipment provided additional warning of unmanned aircraft activity. The brigade also tested teams combining reconnaissance, drones, electronic warfare and other capabilities to locate and respond to simulated threats.

It is important to separate the equipment used during training from what the brigade will actually operate during its CENTCOM mission. The U.S. Army has not publicly released the complete equipment package that will accompany the 116th MBCT during the deployment. Brigade leaders previously explained that equipment for an overseas mission would depend on operational requirements and could differ from the systems used during training in the United States. What is publicly confirmed is that unmanned aerial systems and electronic warfare capabilities are important parts of the new MBCT structure. The deployment will provide the Army with valuable experience in how this new brigade model performs during an operational mission.

For U.S. Central Command, the deployment also has wider strategic importance. CENTCOM covers a large and complex area where U.S. forces must maintain situational awareness, protect personnel and infrastructure and operate across widely separated locations. A brigade designed around improved mobility, unmanned aerial systems, electronic warfare, counter UAS capabilities and modern command and control can provide commanders with additional tools for surveillance, force protection and faster decision making. The deployment of the 116th MBCT will give the Army an opportunity to assess how its modernization efforts perform while supporting an established U.S. mission in the CENTCOM region.

The importance of the deployment also extends beyond the 116th MBCT. Brigade leadership stated in July that the National Guard plans to transition 25 of its 27 ground combat brigades toward the Mobile Brigade Combat Team model. Lessons from the 116th could help inform how other National Guard formations are organized and equipped in the future. The brigade has already served as an early test formation for Infantry Squad Vehicles, unmanned aerial systems, counter UAS capabilities, electronic warfare and improved command and control systems. Its CENTCOM deployment now adds the operational experience needed to understand how these capabilities can be sustained, adapted and integrated with the wider U.S. joint force.

The deployment of the 116th Mobile Brigade Combat Team marks an important stage in the U.S. Army’s modernization effort. A formation that recently reorganized around greater mobility, unmanned aerial systems, electronic warfare and improved reconnaissance is now entering federal service for a CENTCOM mission after completing extensive training and validation at one of the Army’s main combat training centers. For the U.S. Army and National Guard, the significance goes beyond the approximately 1,200 Soldiers deploying from Virginia and Kentucky. The 116th MBCT will provide practical experience in how a more mobile, connected and sensor focused brigade can operate during a real mission. The lessons gathered during its CENTCOM deployment could help shape how future U.S. Army and National Guard brigades organize, gather information, protect their forces and integrate new technologies into modern military operations.

Explore More Defense News

• Land Defense News
• Naval Defense News
• Defense Aerospace News

Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group

Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.