The 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team (“Spartan Brigade”) is a U.S. Army heavy/tank-centric brigade that includes the 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment. During a July 2026 rotation at fort-irwin’s National Training Center, its leadership — commander Col. Alexis Perez-Cruz and 6-8 Cavalry commander Lt. Col. Joseph Steadman — told DefenseScoop that defeating enemy drones is the unit’s single biggest maneuver-capability gap. The brigade trained UAS-assisted logistics resupply and rapid repositioning (via Infantry Squad Vehicles) to mitigate drone vulnerability of sustainment formations, and its leaders framed the air-ground littoral as contested terrain heavy units cannot fully control without solving counter-UAS.
Notable Quotes
“If we can’t do something about the enemy’s UAS and do it rapidly, then we’re not going to be successful at continuing to maneuver.” — Lt. Col. Joseph Steadman
“I don’t think at our level … we have enough of the technology … I think we’re just scratching the surface on counter-UAS.” — Col. Alexis Perez-Cruz