Summary: The Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) at West Point published its “Sentinel” magazine for March 2025. This latest issue focuses on the growing drone threat to public safety and critical infrastructure as well as the enduring threat from foreign terrorist organizations.
Analyst Note: The issue’s featured article explores the evolution of terrorist drone usage based on the tactical and technological innovations emerging from the Russo-Ukrainian War. The authors write that “the conflict has become a critical ‘innovation hub’ for drone warfare, accelerating advancements in the scale, speed, and range of drone operations. These developments are not only transforming the modern battlefield but also creating new opportunities for violent extremist organizations (VEOs) to enhance their operational capabilities.” They assess that “in particular, the war has normalized large-scale drone deployment, demonstrating the feasibility of launching coordinated drone swarms and phased attacks capable of overwhelming existing defenses” and note the potential future pairing of high-speed First-Person View (FPV) drones with emerging technologies such as AI-assisted targeting “could significantly increase the precision and impact of future attacks.”
In another article assessing the threat posed by commercial drones, the authors write that a major concern “is that drone swarms could dramatically increase the impact of bad actor drone operations, be it kinetic strikes, ISR, or psychological warfare.” The issue’s interview is with Dr. Christian Klos, the Director General of Public Security at Germany’s Federal Ministry of Interior and Community. He states that “when it comes to the external threat, I would agree with the assessment that ISIS-K is in Germany as well…there are clear indications that the group intends to conduct attacks in Europe…and we have seen also travel activities. So, it’s not just some minor indications.”
Original Source: https://ctc.westpoint.edu/march-2025/
Additional Reading:
- Droning On: The Response to Use of Drones by Domestic Violent Extremists
- Islamic State Is Evolving, But Has The World Taken Its Eyes Off The Ball?
Mitigation Recommendations:
Related WaterISAC PIRs: 1, 2, & 4
