Military Watch Magazine

Elite U.S. Army Armoured Brigade Takes Heavy Losses in Simulated Combat with Ukrainian Drone Operators

Ukrainian drone operators caused approximately 70 percent of the simulated casualties suffered by a U.S. Army armoured brigade during the first three days of a major military exercise in Germany, exposing vulnerabilities in American forces’ ability to operate under persistent aerial surveillance and drone attack. The results came during Exercise Combined Resolve 26-07 at the Hohenfels Training Area in Bavaria in spring 2026, where the elite 3rd Armoured Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Cavalry Division, known as Greywolf, faced an opposing force reinforced by personnel from Ukraine’s 412th Regiment of the Unmanned Systems Forces, known as Nemesis. The findings were detailed in an article for the U.S. Army’s professional journal Military Review by brigade commander Colonel Michael Ziegelhofer and six other officers.