Small Unmanned Aircraft System (SUAS) Operator

You are a SUAS operator — the Marine Corps' junior reconnaissance asset who can cover ground a patrol can't reach without getting anyone killed. You are not flying a hobby drone; you are operating a surveillance and targeting system with a real kill chain attached to it.

Operate Group 1 UAS — the RQ-11 Raven, Puma, or equivalent small reconnaissance systems — under supervision. Conduct pre-flight checks, perform imagery collection missions, and transmit intelligence reports to supported unit leadership. Learn to read terrain for landing zones, launch points, and areas where electromagnetic interference might degrade the link. Conduct battery management, payloads checks, and post-flight maintenance. Learn the SUAS employment fundamentals: line-of-sight limitations, radio frequency coordination, airspace deconfliction requirements, and when to break off a mission because risk exceeds value. Work closely with the ground maneuver element because SUAS is only valuable when the intelligence it produces reaches the decision maker in time to act on it.

• 01Group 1 UAS pre-flight procedures, imagery collection mission execution, radio frequency management, airspace deconfliction basics, intelligence report formats (SALUTE, SPOTREP), battery and payload maintenance, landing zone selection

• —MCWP 3-42.1 (MAGTF Unmanned Aircraft Systems), individual system TM for assigned UAS type, unit SOP for SUAS employment, applicable SIGACTS and ROE for AOR

• —Pre-flight checklist completed before every flight; imagery quality meeting mission tasking requirements; post-flight maintenance completed and documented; zero frequency conflicts with uncoordinated transmissions; intelligence reports submitted within unit time standard

• —Launching without line-of-sight survey and then losing link when the aircraft goes behind terrain. Not checking battery state before launch and running out of flight time before the collection objective. Transmitting on a frequency that another element is using without coordination.

A junior SUAS operator who can brief the company commander on what the drone found, in plain language, in sixty seconds — not a list of grid coordinates but an actionable picture of what is beyond the next ridgeline. The technical operation of the system is table stakes; the intelligence value it produces is the job.

You are a qualified SUAS operator who can run missions independently and is beginning to lead SUAS teams, manage collection plans, and integrate UAS into the maneuver element's scheme of operations.

Lead a SUAS team conducting reconnaissance, target acquisition, and battle damage assessment missions in support of ground maneuver elements. Plan collection missions — identify the intelligence gaps the supported commander needs filled, select launch points and flight routes, coordinate airspace, and task aircraft for the priority objective. Execute missions and transmit intelligence products in real time. Manage the team's equipment readiness — batteries, payloads, ground control stations, communications gear. Mentor junior operators. Begin learning how SUAS intelligence integrates with the broader ISR architecture — how your imagery feeds into the COP and how it supports fires coordination.

• 01SUAS team leadership, collection mission planning, intelligence gap identification, real-time ISR support to maneuver, ISR/fires integration basics, equipment readiness management, junior operator mentorship

• —MCWP 3-42.1, MCRP 2-10A.7 (MAGTF Intelligence Operations), applicable UAS system TMs, unit SOP

• —Collection plans covering commander's priority intelligence requirements; zero mission failures from preventable equipment issues; intelligence products reaching decision makers within unit time standard; junior operators meeting qualification requirements

• —Planning collection missions that answer the wrong question — SUAS time is finite and every minute spent on a secondary objective is a minute not spent on the commander's priority. Brief and confirm collection priorities with the supported unit before every mission.

A Cpl who sits down with the S2 before a mission, confirms the intelligence gaps, maps the route against the terrain for link considerations, and launches with a clear understanding of what success looks like — and who delivers an intelligence report that the commander actually uses to make a decision.

You are a SUAS section leader integrating drone operations into the full range of ground combat operations. You translate the commander's intelligence requirements into executable collection plans and you are accountable for the ISR picture your section produces.

Lead the SUAS section for a ground combat element or Marine infantry battalion. Own the collection plan development, airspace coordination, and real-time ISR feed for your supported commander. Integrate SUAS into the fires and targeting cycle — ensure that what your aircraft sees gets to the JTAC or fire support coordinator in time to matter. Manage operator qualifications, equipment serviceability, and mission pace. Work with the S2 to align collection priorities with the ground maneuver scheme. Brief and debrief the company or battalion commander on SUAS capability, limitations, and what was collected. Manage section training and operator development.

• 01Section leadership, collection plan development aligned to commander's critical information requirements, fires and targeting integration, S2 coordination, operator training management, airspace coordination, SUAS capability briefing

• —MCWP 3-42.1, MCRP 2-10A.7, joint targeting publications, unit ISR and targeting SOP

• —All collection plans tied to commander's PIR; zero airspace conflicts from uncoordinated operations; intelligence products integrated into COP and targeting cycle; operator qualifications current; no mission-limiting equipment failures from preventable maintenance

• —Operating SUAS independently of the S2 and producing imagery that answers nobody's actual question. Launching in conditions that degrade link quality without briefing the risk and getting command approval — SUAS going dark over the enemy's position at the wrong moment is worse than not launching.

A Sgt whose collection plan walks into the S3 brief and answers the three questions on the commander's intelligence priority list before the operation steps off, and whose section delivers real-time ISR during execution that allows the maneuver element to adjust their scheme to what the drone is showing them.

You are the senior SUAS NCOIC at the battalion or regiment level, responsible for integrating unmanned systems into the full ground maneuver operation and advising commanders on ISR employment.

Serve as the SUAS platoon NCOIC or senior UAS advisor for a ground combat element. Develop and maintain the SUAS employment concept for exercises and operations. Advise the battalion or regimental commander and S2/S3 staff on SUAS collection capability, employment options, and limitations. Integrate SUAS into the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance plan — coordinating with SIGINT, HUMINT, and fires elements to ensure the collection plan supports the full intelligence picture. Manage the section's training program, operator qualification tracking, and equipment readiness reporting. Lead the section through exercises and deployments. Interface with aviation and higher echelon ISR assets to deconflict airspace and collection priorities.

• 01SUAS platoon NCOIC, ISR integration planning, commander advisory, multi-INT coordination, exercises and deployment leadership, training program management, aviation/higher-ISR airspace deconfliction

• —MCWP 3-42.1, MCRP 2-10A.7, joint ISR publications, MAGTF targeting publications, MCO on SUAS employment

• —SUAS employment integrated into ISR annex before every operation; operator qualifications current; equipment readiness above unit threshold; commander has accurate SUAS capability picture; airspace deconflicted before every operation

• —Treating SUAS as an organic intelligence asset and not coordinating with the broader ISR architecture — SUAS producing imagery that duplicates what a higher-echelon asset is already collecting is wasted sorties. Coordinate collection first.

An SSgt who walks into the ISR synchronization meeting and presents a collection plan that fills the gaps the other INT disciplines aren't covering — and who leaves with coordinated airspace and a clear understanding of what the commander needs by H-hour.

You are the senior SUAS technical authority and advisor at the regimental, division, or MEF level, shaping how ground combat elements employ unmanned systems across the full operational spectrum.

Serve as the senior SUAS enlisted advisor for a regiment, division, or MEF. Advise commanding officers and G2/G3 staffs on SUAS doctrine, employment, and capability limitations. Shape the unit's UAS training program — qualification standards, operator pipeline, currency requirements. Interface with aviation and joint ISR communities on airspace integration and collection deconfliction. Contribute to SUAS program modernization — identifying capability gaps, evaluating new systems, providing feedback to requirements authorities. Mentor SSgts and Sgts on SUAS employment and leadership. Ensure SUAS doctrine keeps pace with operational and threat environment changes.

• 01Regimental/MEF-level SUAS advisory, doctrine and employment standards, training pipeline management, aviation/joint ISR coordination, modernization program feedback, senior NCO mentorship

• —MCWP 3-42.1, joint UAS doctrine, HQMC SUAS program documentation, joint ISR and targeting publications

• —SUAS employment doctrine current and operationally relevant; unit qualifications meeting command standards; modernization program inputs technically sound; commanding officers and staff briefed accurately on SUAS capability

• —Failing to track the rapid evolution of commercial UAS threats and adapt SUAS employment accordingly — the adversary drone picture in 2026 is qualitatively different from 2020, and SUAS employment that doesn't account for counter-UAS threats is a liability.

A GySgt who has personally evaluated at least two new UAS platforms in the last year, understands how adversary counter-drone capabilities affect SUAS employment, and has already updated the unit's TTPs before the next deployment. Staying current in this MOS is a survival requirement.

You are shaping the Marine Corps' unmanned ground reconnaissance capability at the force and institutional level, ensuring this rapidly evolving community produces operationally effective operators who can survive in a contested environment.

Serve as the senior SUAS enlisted advisor at the Marine Forces, TECOM, or HQMC level. Shape SUAS training standards, qualification requirements, and operator pipeline structure for the Marine Corps. Engage with DARPA, MARCORSYSCOM, and joint UAS acquisition programs to represent Marine ground force requirements. Advise general officers on SUAS capability, force structure, and modernization. Ensure the community is training for multi-domain operations where adversary counter-UAS systems are active. Interface with the counter-UAS community to integrate threat awareness into SUAS operator training. As 1stSgt or SgtMaj, lead the human element of a technical community adapting to a battlefield that is changing faster than most doctrine can track.

• 01Force-level SUAS program management, acquisition program advocacy, general officer advisory, counter-UAS threat integration, pipeline and curriculum design, senior enlisted formation leadership

• —Marine Corps SUAS modernization roadmap, joint UAS doctrine and DOTMLPF documentation, counter-UAS doctrine, HQMC aviation and ISR policy

• —SUAS pipeline producing operators ready for contested environments; force structure and equipment decisions informed by operational feedback; counter-UAS threat integrated into training; commanding generals have honest SUAS capability assessments

• —Training SUAS operators for the 2019 permissive environment in a 2026 contested one. Every adversary military and most non-state actors now have counter-drone capability. If your training doesn't account for jamming, interception, and drone-on-drone tactics, you are producing operators who will lose their aircraft on the first day of real combat.

A SgtMaj who has personally reviewed the after-action reports from every recent conflict where SUAS was employed and counter-UAS was used against it — and who ensures those lessons are in the schoolhouse curriculum before the next generation of operators finishes training. The threat evolves. The training must outpace it.