Following the lethal drone strike in Jordan that resulted in the death of three U.S. soldiers, President Joe Biden declared he has chosen a response but indicated his reluctance to expand the Middle East conflict. "I don’t think we need a wider war in the Middle East," Biden announced at the White House before leaving for a trip to Florida, as Fox 10 Phoenix reported. He plans to be present at Dover, Delaware, today for the dignified transfer of the fallen soldiers.
The attack, which also wounded about 40 members of the Arizona National Guard with injuries ranging from cuts to traumatic brain injuries, stirred debates on the use of low-tech drones in warfare. Biden expressed his commitment to aim to prevent further escalations, contrary to pushing the nation to hastily respond. Details from a Fox 10 Phoenix interview with a former marine and owner of TYR Tactical in Peoria, Arizona, Jason Beck, support the concerns raised about the growing use of these unmanned aerial systems. "The drones that are being used in this way are typically like a glide path, meaning that they are more of a glider-style weapon system. That’s actually what was used against the base in Jordan," Beck told Fox 10 Phoenix.
The three fallen soldiers, identified as Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, were part of the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade, Fort Moore, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. The attack on January 28 involved a one-way unmanned aerial system that struck Tower 22, their container housing units near the Syrian border.
Jason Beck, leveraging his experience as a former marine, described the drones as low-velocity systems with the ability to hover in low airspace for extended periods, posing a challenge for military detection. "It takes very little energy or a level of intelligence," Beck revealed, emphasizing that without a strong counterattack, similar attacks are likely to only continue. This insight, provided by Beck to Fox 10 Phoenix.
