# 158 S11 Ep 11 – Geronimo’s Drone War: sUAS Lessons from the Modern Battlefield w/JRTC OPFOR’s Multi-Domain Effects Cell

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-crucible-the-jrtc-experience-podcast-6038857/158-s11-ep-11-geronimo-s-drone-war-suas-lessons-from-the-modern-battlefield-w-jrtc-opfor-s-multi-domain-effects-cell
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-crucible-the-jrtc-experience-podcast-6038857/158-s11-ep-11-geronimo-s-drone-war-suas-lessons-from-the-modern-battlefield-w-jrtc-opfor-s-multi-domain-effects-cell.md
Podcast: [The Crucible - The JRTC Experience Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-crucible-the-jrtc-experience-podcast-6038857)
Published: 2026-05-22T20:39:42+00:00
Episode link: https://thecrucible-thejrtcexperience.podbean.com/e/158-s11-ep-11-%e2%80%93-geronimo-s-drone-war-suas-lessons-from-the-modern-battlefield-wjrtc-opfor-s-multi-domain-effects-cell/
Audio file: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/nshvscs8x8dutd4c/Crucible_Ep_158_Gman_MDEC612xb.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-crucible-the-jrtc-experience-podcast-6038857/episodes/158-s11-ep-11-geronimo-s-drone-war-suas-lessons-from-the-modern-battlefield-w-jrtc-opfor-s-multi-domain-effects-cell
Duration seconds: 2429

## Resource

The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the one-hundredth-and-fifty-eighth episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.’ Hosted by MAJ Will Montoya, the Multi-Domain Effects Cell Chief for 1-509th IN (OPFOR), known as Geronimo, on behalf of the Commander of Operations Group. Today’s guests are subject matter experts on drone warfare within Geronimo: SGT Colin Rock, SGT Darius Shumpert, and SPC Collin Palm. SGT Rock is a Team Leader and drone operator for Able Company, 1-509th IN (OPFOR). SGT Shumpert and SPC Palm are first person viewer small unmanned aircraft systems operators for MDEC, 1-509th IN (OPFOR). This episode dives into the evolving employment of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) from the perspective of Geronimo’s Multi-Domain Effects Cell (MDEC), focusing heavily on practical TTPs, rapid battlefield adaptation, and lessons learned from observing modern conflicts like Ukraine. The discussion explores the full spectrum of drone employment—from ISR and route reconnaissance to one-way attack FPVs, heavy-lift “mothership” drones, and autonomous strike systems. A major theme throughout the episode is the incredible pace of innovation in drone warfare, where countermeasures and counter-countermeasures evolve in cycles measured in weeks rather than years. Leaders discuss how cheap, expendable systems are reshaping battlefield economics by destroying million-dollar platforms, compressing the kill chain, and creating persistent threats that traditional formations are not yet fully prepared to handle. The episode also reinforces that drones are not replacing soldiers, but instead dramatically increasing the lethality, reach, and survivability of small units when properly integrated. The conversation also focuses heavily on the Army’s c…

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