Reading at Intermediate level
Nearly 10,000 soldiers participated in Project Convergence Capstone, a major Army exercise held at Fort Irwin, California, designed to test integrated warfighting concepts against a near-peer adversary. The opposing force, drawn from the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (known as "Blackhorse"), simulated a peer-level threat—the kind the US military increasingly expects to face. The focal point was an assault on Razish, a sprawling mock city featuring underground tunnels, varied building heights, and concealed defensive positions that mimic real urban combat environments.
Unmanned aerial systems (drones) and targeting software played an initial reconnaissance role, with operators flying Black Widow quadcopters up to four kilometers out to scout enemy positions and vehicles. However, their utility changed as the exercise progressed. Once fighting moved into dense urban terrain, drones saw limited use; soldiers found that on-the-ground dismounted infantry and Bradley Fighting Vehicle crews proved more effective for clearing buildings and eliminating close-range threats. Brigadier General Daniel Hibner, head of the Army Joint Modernization Command, noted that saturating operations with too much technology actually impairs soldier training and effectiveness, emphasizing that selective technology integration—not blanket adoption—is the goal.