An MQ-9 Reaper flies a training mission over the Nevada Test and Training Range, July 15, 2019. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class William Rio Rosado)
WASHINGTON — The Marine Corps, in its eagerness to ramp up purchases of the unmanned MQ-9 Reaper, has run into a problem: It can’t get enough officers trained on how to operate the plane fast enough.
The issue came up today while the service’s senior officer, Commandant Gen. David Berger, was testifying before the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on defense, alongside Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday.
In response to a question from Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., Berger said the Marines had been relying on the Air Force, which has been using the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance drone since 2007, for training. That reliance, Berger said, will not get the Marines to the number of qualified officers it needs to operate the Reapers it is purchasing.
The Marine Corps received funding from lawmakers to buy five MQ-9s, built by General Atomics, in fiscal 2023 and is seeking money for five more in FY24.
“We don’t see any shrinking of — reduction of that demand so … we got a couple of options here,” Berger said.
The first option is to fund a contract, most likely with General Atomics, to have industry help train Marines. Another choice is to set up a “naval school for unmanned pilots,” Berger said. “We don’t know yet what that would cost, where we would put it, the instructor base, all that sort of thing. But it’s pretty clear that relying on the Air Force… is not going to meet the requirement going forward.”
Hoeven added that General Atomics already has established facilities in the US that it uses for training its foreign military sales customers and suggested that as a potential solution for the Marine Corps. (Helpfully, a large GA training facility is located in Hoeven’s home state.)
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The Reaper also received attention elsewhere on Capitol Hill today, as lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services Committee sought Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s opinion on whether the aircraft might be a useful tool for Ukraine in its fight to fend off the Russian invasion.
Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., noted the Air Force in its latest budget request is seeking to retire four dozen MQ-9s. He also noted the recent incident over the Black Sea during which a Russian pilot collided with an MQ-9, causing the unmanned aircraft to crash. The Pentagon called Russia’s pilot “unprofessional.” Russia’s defense ministry presented the pilot with a state award, CBS News reported.
“That air domain [Ukraine] is a very hostile air space because of the capability the Russians have for air defense. It is not a survivable platform if they try to use that in that environment,” Austin responded.
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Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, echoed Austin’s comments saying that while the MQ-9 is a useful capability, it’s “big and slow,” which means it’d be an easy target for the Russians. He added that it would not add much capability beyond the equipment the US has already provided to Ukraine.
