Swarming is a tactic long employed by military forces to offset military advantages by leveraging emergent technologies. This monograph explores the potential for the employment of swarming on the modern battlefield. The development and operationalization of autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and emergent technologies have increased the versatility and lethality of swarm UAVs. Successful integration of this technology into the US military operations requires theory, operational concepts, and tactics that the military has yet to construct. Adversaries of the United States continue to make advances in the use of semi-autonomous and autonomous weapon systems that are quickly reducing the technological gap currently held by the US military. As such, this monograph suggests that the Department of Defense needs to make greater efforts in prioritizing the employment of swarming autonomous UAVs.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)