Marine anti-tank missilemen will receive one-way attack drones to add organic precision-strike capability

The Marine Corps is equipping its anti-tank missilemen with loitering munitions — one-way attack drones that can search for and strike targets on their own. The fielding of these systems, called the Organic Precision Fires-Light, is scheduled to begin in January. The Marines describe the troops who receive the capability as "precision strike Marines," though the official job title of missileman will remain the same.

Pacific and for battlefields with many drones and disrupted communications. That redesign has included shedding heavy platforms like tanks, creating coastal-warfare units, and preparing for dispersed operations on remote islands. Giving small units organic precision-strike drones lets them attack targets at ranges that previously required aircraft or artillery support.

How loitering munitions change unit options

Defensive challenges and counter-drone work

New equipment requires more training. The Corps is developing a three-day counter-drone course for rifle squads at the Twentynine Palms training center to teach detection and engagement skills. Leaders acknowledge "task saturation" is a concern: adding drone-offense and drone-defense duties increases responsibilities and cognitive load for small-unit Marines.

The service is working to close what a senior leader called a major gap in the ability of small units to defend against one-way attack systems. Offensive and defensive attack-drone teams are shaping tactics and doctrine as the new systems are fielded. The wider effort aims to give the lowest echelons effective firepower and staying power to seize and defend ground when necessary.

Small units will have more direct control over precision fires, which can speed engagement and reduce dependence on higher-echelon support. At the same time, commanders must account for training time, additional mission tasks, and the need to integrate detection, electronic-warfare, and lethal drone employment into existing tactics.

The Corps is integrating loitering munitions into anti-tank teams to extend their strike options and is expanding counter-drone tools and training to manage the resulting threats. The shift is part of a broader redesign toward dispersed, drone-heavy battlefields and moves precision strike capabilities to lower tactical levels.