The Army has a ‘critical gap’ stopping drone swarms. Now it’s doing something about it.

The U.S. Army has identified a “critical gap” in its ability to face swarms of drones that could attack small units of soldiers on the battlefield by confusing radar systems, overwhelming larger aircraft or simply exploding when they reach an assigned target.

The service has been examining the issue for years, but Gen. Daniel B. Allyn, the service’s vice chief of staff, said Tuesday that defeating such attacks will be essential in the future. Initially the Army must be able to stop single drones from carrying out surveillance and reconnaissance against the United States, but the service must evolve from there to stopping swarm attacks using both new technology and old-school techniques, he said.