US Marines assigned to Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team Central Command (FASTCENT) recently executed a direct, land-based counter-uncrewed aerial system (C-UAS) campaign for the force, while operating in an environment of hostility and instability.
The integration of C-UAS represents a shift for the unit from traditional perimeter defence to modern, multi-domain force protection in the US Central Command area of responsibility, which includes the Middle East.
Having first completed specialised training, FASTCENT operated alongside US Navy, US Army, US National Guard, the Bahrain Defense Force and British forces to boost Bahrain’s layered air defence.
FASTCENT supported air defence bases as they came under attack from drones by deploying the Drone Restricted Access Using Known Electromagnetic Warfare (DRAKE) system, the US Marines disclosed in a post on the US defence department’s information service on 27 October.
The DRAKE is a portable, single-operator system that is designed to detect, track and disrupt unauthorised drones in real time by repelling them based on their frequency. Concurrently, Marines maintained and reloaded Coyote interceptors at to neutralise incoming threats.
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Image: A Drone Restricted Access Using Known Electromagnetic Warfare (DRAKE) system is stored during US Navy security training in a shipboard classroom, September 2025. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Paris McKee)
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