In-Flight Fight: Manoeuvre in the Near Surface

Twelve months ago, the British Army's 11th Brigade was still labelled as a Security Force Assistance Brigade. Over the intervening period, with support from Field Army Headquarters and Army Futures, the likely future of the Brigade has evolved into something more novel: a formation that will fight 'in and from the near-surface' or, what might in simpler terms be described as a drone brigade. This direction is bolder in concept than the drone warfare development that has been undertaken by the British Army to date, in that it proposes to use near-surface capabilities as the primary and supported form of manoeuvre rather than in an ancillary or supporting role to more traditional forms of land manoeuvre. This article will introduce and explore the ideas around this change.