2d Cavalry Regiment Advances Counter-UAS Integration during Flytrap 5.0 in Lithuania

WASHINGTON — Soldiers assigned to 2d Cavalry Regiment concluded Flytrap 5.0 in Lithuania after a month-long exercise focused on integrating counter-unmanned aircraft systems, electronic warfare and command-and-control capabilities into realistic force-on-force operations alongside allied and industry partners.

The exercise, led by the regiment’s 2d Squadron, 2d Cavalry Regiment, brought together nearly 1,000 personnel from the United States, United Kingdom and partner nations to test emerging technologies under operational conditions while refining tactics and improving battlefield integration across formations.

“Exercises like this help us integrate new capabilities, improve command and control, reduce complexity for leaders, and strengthen decision-making in contested environments,” said Lt. Col. Jason Kruck, commander of 2d Squadron, 2d Cavalry Regiment. “It’s about preparing formations to absorb change quickly, operate with allies effectively, solve battlefield problems faster, and become more effective at warfighting.”

Unlike controlled demonstrations or limited equipment trials, Flytrap 5.0 placed emerging systems directly into operational formations during free-play force-on-force scenarios between U.S. cavalry soldiers and British paratroopers. Leaders said the exercise emphasized how systems perform during extended operations under fatigue, adverse weather and electronic warfare conditions rather than in sterile testing environments.

“This is getting towards that realistic scenario,” Kruck said. “What we were replicating through the Flytrap series is continuing to make it bigger at scale, more in complexity, more realistic terrain and environment, and against a living, breathing, thinking enemy.”

The exercise focused heavily on integrating small unmanned aircraft systems, counter-UAS platforms, electronic warfare and command-and-control architecture into a shared battlefield network. According to exercise leaders, interoperability between systems and allied formations was one of the primary training objectives.

Maj. Mary Meindenbauer, Regiment S-6, 2d Cavalry Regiment said the regiment made significant progress incorporating new command-and-control systems and improving the common operating picture during the exercise.

“We made a lot of really great strides in terms of incorporating new systems, integrating new systems, and building out what that operating picture is going to look like for the regiment and hopefully for the Army as a whole,” Meindenbauer said.

At the tactical level, soldiers operated in drone-saturated environments designed to replicate conditions observed in modern conflicts. Units employed reconnaissance drones, attack drones, jamming systems and counter-UAS capabilities while maneuvering across open terrain and conducting offensive operations.

Sgt. 1st Class Tyler Harrington, Echo Troop, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, said the exercise forced soldiers to adapt to a battlefield where threats exist both on the ground and in the air.

“It increases the real effect,” Harrington said. “Now we have to scan up and out as well. Is there potential reconnaissance hovering above us, or is there a one-way attack drone coming in our direction? It changes how we maneuver and react immediately to threats.”

Exercise leaders said soldiers tested both active and passive counter-UAS systems, including electronic warfare tools, jamming capabilities and kinetic defeat options. Troops also experimented with massed drone operations to stress friendly and opposing systems during combat scenarios.

Leaders highlighted the growing importance of integrating unmanned systems, counter-UAS and electronic warfare into a unified operational framework. Maj. Galen King, Executive Officer, 2d Cavalry Regiment, described the concept as a “Triad” that combines UAS, counter-UAS and electronic warfare capabilities through a shared network capable of synthesizing battlefield data in real time.

“We think that units, to unlock their maneuver potential in the future, will need to generally have those three things,” King said.

Another major component of Flytrap 5.0 was expeditionary additive manufacturing. Soldiers from the regiment’s additive manufacturing platoon deployed 3D printers, fabrication tools and mobile repair capabilities to Lithuania, where they repaired drones and produced custom mounts and brackets for counter-UAS systems mounted on Stryker vehicles.

According to King, the platoon fabricated rapid solutions in the field that allowed soldiers to integrate emerging technologies without waiting for traditional supply chains or long-term procurement timelines.

Exercise leaders said Flytrap continues to evolve with each iteration by increasing operational scale, expanding allied participation and introducing more realistic battlefield complexity. Future events are expected to incorporate denser drone activity, additional electronic warfare challenges and broader multi-domain integration.

Kruck said the exercise reflects the Army’s broader transformation efforts as formations prepare for future conflicts shaped by rapidly evolving technology and persistent aerial threats.

“Modern battle evolves quickly,” Kruck said. “Our responsibility is ensuring our soldiers and formations can learn, adapt and integrate new capabilities faster than the emerging threats that we see today.”