Marine Corps creates drone training integration group

July 21, 2026

1–2 minutes

Summary

Marine Corps formed a new group to standardize drone, counter-drone training across the force.

Why this matters

The move formalizes how the Marine Corps turns drone and counter-drone lessons into standardized training across units. It also reflects how small drones and countermeasures are reshaping military operations and force design.

Marine Corps Training and Education Command established the Marine Corps Robotics Integration Group on July 8, 2026, to standardize training for Group 1 and Group 2 small unmanned aircraft systems and counter-drone operations across the force.

The new organization is assigned to the Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California. It will develop curriculum, instructor certifications, and training products based on validated tactics, techniques, and procedures.

The group will work with the Marine Corps Attack Drone Team, created in January 2025 at Quantico under the Weapons Training Battalion, and the Marine Corps Counter Drone Team, an organic element of the same battalion. According to the Marine Corps, those teams test drone and counter-drone tactics, analyze exercises and operations, and pass validated findings to the new group for servicewide training.

Col. Charles Anklam III, commanding officer of Weapons Training Battalion, said the two teams were created to adapt quickly to changes in drone technology and tactics.

“The Marine Corps Attack Drone Team and the Marine Corps Counter Drone Team are designed to move at the speed of technology. Through the analysis of exercises, operations, and purposely designed events, we gain critical information about how systems should be employed or defeated,” Anklam said.

“Our responsibility is to rigorously test ideas, validate capabilities, and rapidly transition those findings to MCRIG, where they become standardized training that benefits every Marine. This partnership allows us to remain agile to the constantly changing threat, innovate quickly, and provide the fleet with consistently reliable, credible, and operationally relevant information to increase lethality and survivability.”

Maj. Gen. Mark H. Clingan, commanding general of the training command and Twentynine Palms, said small unmanned aircraft systems had become central to reconnaissance, precision strike, force protection, and survivability.

The Marine Corps said the new structure supports Force Design modernization, including distributed operations, a 13-Marine infantry squad with a dedicated drone operator, new fires and reconnaissance companies, and continued fielding of counter-drone systems such as the Marine Air Defense Integrated System.

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World

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FIFA said Monday it will investigate post-match incidents involving Argentina and Spain after Spain’s 1-0 victory in the World Cup final on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

After the final whistle, Spain’s players ran onto the field to celebrate. Argentina defender Nahuel Molina appeared to strike Spain midfielder Rodri in the stomach as Rodri ran onto the field.

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In a statement, FIFA said: “Following an assessment of the relevant match reports for the FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, and in line with article 36 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC), the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has appointed a Disciplinary and Ethics Prosecutor to investigate potential breaches of the FDC with regard to the post-match incidents.”

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Zelensky named Mykhailo Drapatyi, 43, to replace Syrskyi. Drapatyi, commander of Ukraine’s Joint Forces, is often described as part of a newer generation of military leaders whose careers were shaped by the war with Russia.

Syrskyi, 60, was born in Russia’s Vladimir region, then part of the Soviet Union, and studied at a military school in Moscow alongside classmates who later became Russian commanders. He faced criticism over the prolonged defense of Bakhmut and the losses it entailed.

Drapatyi was known for a 2014 video showing him driving an armored infantry fighting vehicle through a separatist barricade in Mariupol. Born in western Ukraine, he attended a military school in Kharkiv.

Announcing the change, Zelensky thanked Syrskyi for defending Kyiv and leading multiple offensive operations. “We share the same wish, which is victory over the enemy,” he said.

Drapatyi said he would work “responsibly, with focus and with respect” for Ukraine’s troops. He thanked Syrskyi for strengthening the military over his long service, adding: “I grew up in its ranks.”

Syrskyi had fought Russia and its allies since 2014, when he led Ukrainian troops against a Moscow-backed insurgency in Donetsk and Luhansk after Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea. “I have been in this war since 2014,” he told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in a 2024 interview. “The frontline is my life.”

Zelensky on Tuesday offered Fedorov a “prominent position in government that would allow him to unify the technical component of our state and ensure its development.” It was not clear whether Fedorov had accepted.

As protests continued, speculation about Syrskyi’s future grew. On Monday, Zelensky met top generals, and his chief of staff said “the position of society has been heard.”

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On Monday, President Donald Trump said he would retaliate against Iran after a deadly weekend for U.S. troops.

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The U.S. military said late Tuesday that it ended its latest round of strikes on Iran, marking the 11th consecutive night of U.S. attacks.

The strikes lasted about 75 minutes, according to the U.S. military.

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The war began when the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, and Iran responded with strikes on Israel and Gulf states that host U.S. bases.

U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon during the war have killed thousands and displaced millions.

An Iranian Health Ministry official said recent U.S. strikes on Iran had killed 50 civilians and wounded 500.

U.S. troop deaths in the war have risen to 18 in recent days.

Last week, Trump said the United States could expand its targets in Iran to include energy plants and bridges.

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French lawmakers on Tuesday approved President Emmanuel Macron’s nomination of right-wing Sen. François-Noël Buffet as France’s new Defender of Rights, backing him by 43 votes to 39 in the National Assembly and Senate.

Buffet, 62, a lawyer and senator from the Rhône area around Lyon, replaced Claire Hédon, a former journalist whose six-year term ended Monday. The independent watchdog handles complaints over rights violations and works to ensure equal legal protection in France.

His appointment drew criticism from rights groups and some staff members at the Defender of Rights office because of his past positions on LGBTQ+ rights, abortion, policing, and migrants’ access to health care.

Buffet campaigned against extending marriage rights to same-sex couples, opposed a 2021 law allowing medically assisted reproduction for single women and lesbian couples, and abstained in a 2024 vote to enshrine abortion rights in the French Constitution. He also supports reducing state-funded medical care for undocumented migrants.

In interviews with Mediapart, staff at the rights office previously said they were shocked by the prospect of Buffet taking over. One employee said a politician “whose recent views are so starkly at odds with the institution’s recommendations” should not have been considered.

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Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman warned Bulgaria on Tuesday against allowing U.S. forces to use its territory for military operations against Iran.

Bulgaria’s government said it would seek parliamentary approval to station up to eight U.S. tanker aircraft at Bezmer military facility, about 160 miles southeast of Sofia. Bulgaria is a member of NATO and the European Union.

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Baghaei urged Bulgaria not to become “an accomplice of aggressors and lawbreakers,” Iranian state media said.

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World

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Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they had closed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Saudi-linked shipping, a move that could disrupt oil flows and trade and add pressure to a region already affected by the war involving Iran.

The Houthis said the measure was in response to Saudi Arabia’s blockade on Yemen and an attack earlier this month on the airport in Sanaa, the rebel-held capital.

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Earlier this week, Duke Energy filed an amended agreement cutting its request from about 18% to about 9.5% for residential customers. Jackson said that was still too high and that residential customers were being asked to cover more of the increase than industrial users.

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The settlement does not require the attorney general’s approval, but Jackson could challenge it in court.

Gov. Josh Stein also criticized the proposal, saying the Utilities Commission should impose a large-load tariff so data centers cover their own electricity costs.

“These are some of the largest and richest companies in the world,” Stein said on social media. “They can pay more to lower everyone else’s rates.”

The deal set a 9.8% return on equity, the profit margin for shareholders. North Carolina law requires regulated utilities to be allowed a reasonable rate of return to attract investors.

Kendal Bowman, Duke Energy’s North Carolina president, said the company’s goal remained delivering reliable power at the lowest possible cost.

“We appreciate our stakeholders’ engagement in finding a path that allows us to more cost-effectively serve the Tar Heel State,” Bowman said in a statement. “We’ve agreed to reduce rates even more than in our prior settlements, while still allowing us to make vital infrastructure investments to meet existing and future customer needs.”

The agreement between Duke Energy Carolinas, which serves western North Carolina, and North Carolina Public Staff, which represents customers, must be approved by the North Carolina Utilities Commission. If approved, the new rates would take effect Jan. 1.

Norton said Duke had held “constructive discussions” about a large-load tariff. He said Duke’s analysis showed that data centers and other large-load customers would cover the costs required to serve them and contribute additional revenue to lower costs for other customers, whether or not a tariff is adopted.
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With nearly 69% of the vote counted, Feely led former state Rep. Joe Chaplik and businessman John Trobough.

Feely first ran for Arizona’s 5th Congressional District, then switched to the 1st District after Trump endorsed former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb.

The 1st District could be competitive in November. Feely will face the winner of the Democratic primary between former state legislator Amish Shah and Marlene Galán-Woods, a former television news anchor endorsed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Shah and Galán-Woods also faced each other in the 2024 primary, when Shah defeated Galán-Woods by about 1,700 votes. Shah later lost to Schweikert.

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Health, Virginia

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A recent state report found 13 rural hospitals in Virginia at risk of closure as coverage changes and federal policy shifts affect hospital finances.

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Virginia hospital emergency departments recorded an 8% increase last year in visits from uninsured patients, according to new data from the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association.

Hospitals classify those visits as “self-pay,” meaning patients lacked insurance or did not show proof of coverage when they received care.

The association said the increase comes as health systems and safety-net providers prepare for changes in health coverage. Hospitals have raised concerns that more uninsured patients may turn to emergency rooms instead of primary care, while free clinics said additional demand could strain already tight budgets.

State lawmakers set aside funding to support free clinics and federally qualified health centers, and to create a state subsidy after Affordable Care Act subsidies expired earlier this year. Enrollment in the Virginia subsidy is expected to begin in November and aid about 200,000 residents.

Emergency room visits among Virginians with other forms of insurance, including government and private coverage, were steady or rose modestly, the association’s data showed.

More than 67,400 Virginians no longer have Affordable Care Act marketplace insurance compared with this time last year, according to the State Corporation Commission.

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Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association spokesman Julian Walker said hospitals have a long history of adapting and may not close immediately or permanently. He said responses could include staffing or service reductions, the closure of hospital-owned primary care clinics, or negotiations with private insurers.

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US Politics

New Jersey says 6,600 noncitizens were registered

The state’s preliminary analysis found that fewer than 400 of those erroneously registered had voted.

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About 6,600 people in New Jersey who said they were not U.S. citizens were incorrectly registered to vote because of a software error during the previous gubernatorial administration, Gov. Mikie Sherrill said Tuesday.

Sherrill said the error affected people who answered “no” when asked on a keypad whether they were U.S. citizens while applying for driver’s licenses or identification cards between June 2023 and June 2024. She said the registrations occurred nearly three years before she took office this year.

Sherrill said those voters were not tied to one party and were registered as Democrats, Republicans, or unaffiliated voters. At a Tuesday press conference, she said the state had “no evidence at this time that any elections were swayed.”

Sherrill said she ordered an independent investigation, the removal from voter rolls of anyone who should not have been registered, and steps to replace the vendor running the faulty system. She also said the state would protect the identities of noncitizens who were inadvertently registered so their immigration status is not jeopardized.

The disclosure came less than a week after Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin sent letters to New Jersey and three other states alleging they might have tens of thousands of noncitizens registered to vote. Sherrill said New Jersey asked for evidence supporting the federal claim that as many as 35,152 noncitizens could be registered in the state, but had not received a response.

IDEMIA, the company that runs the motor vehicle system cited by the governor, said its role is to transmit information through the state system and that the New Jersey Division of Elections is responsible for verifying voter eligibility.

The U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday it was investigating the matter. In a letter posted on social media, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon asked New Jersey to provide within five business days personal information on the registered noncitizens the state identified and details on the roughly 400 who voted.

The White House said Sherrill’s announcement supported President Donald Trump’s push for the SAVE America Act, a proposal that would significantly change election administration.