FORT BENNING (Georgia) – The Maneuver Center of Excellence (MCoE) of the United States Army has launched the first pilot cycle of the Robotic Autonomous Systems Leader Tactics Course (RASLT), an intensive program designed to prepare commanders and staff for the increasing centrality of robotic and autonomous systems in future conflicts. The course, launched on February 10 as part of the Army-wide initiatives of Transforming in Contact, lasts three weeks and aims to transform emerging technologies into operational skills applicable in the field.
According to the Army, three pilot iterations in Fiscal Year 2026 are planned, each structured over five days a week. The responsibility for the initiative falls on the 3rd Squadron, 16th Cavalry Regiment, which oversees the design and conduct of the program.
A training “milestone” in leaders' careers
For Lieutenant Colonel Alan Hastings, commander of the unit managing the RASLT, the goal is to offer a structured touchpoint in the professional training of officers and NCOs, at a time when operational units are beginning to receive new “formations” and capabilities based on robotics and autonomy.
“What we hope RASLT can provide is a touchpoint in the professional military education of an officer or NCO, where they are exposed to these contents and develop a foundation to build competence in tactical operations planning and combined arms employment with these new capabilities,” Hastings explained.
Who the RASLT is for
The course is aimed at:
- Officers from the rank of first lieutenant to major
- Enlisted personnel with the rank of sergeant first class and above
Captain Alison Darby, the course director, specified that for enlisted personnel, it is preferable to have completed the Scout Leader Course or the Battle Staff NCO Course, while for officers, completion of the Maneuver Captain’s Career Course is expected.
The idea is to train leaders destined to return to the operational force, where the likelihood of finding integrated robotic and autonomous assets at the company, battalion, or brigade level is increasingly concrete.
Three weeks, three levels of integration: from UGV to ethics
The curriculum follows a structured progression, alternating theory, capability study, and tactical decision exercises (TDE) with dynamic scenarios.
Week 1: overview and unmanned ground vehicles (UGV)
The first phase introduces the principles of autonomous systems and focuses on types of unmanned ground vehicles, with their capabilities and limitations. The week concludes with a “cognitive” exercise where students plan and execute an operation as a company commander in a mobile brigade combat team, with aggregated RAS assets. The “injects” and opposition are managed by the instructor in the role of adaptive enemy.
Week 2: small drones, environment, and electromagnetic spectrum management
The second week is dedicated to small unmanned aircraft systems, addressing employment, constraints, and operational considerations. Specific attention is given to electromagnetic spectrum management and the effects of terrain and weather. The module ends with a defensive TDE: students operate as an armored company commander, integrating robotic systems in a combined arms formation.
Week 3: leadership, ethics, and “expanded” operational employment
The final week broadens the perspective: beyond tactics, the dimension of leadership, responsibility, and ethics related to the use of autonomous and robotic platforms comes into play. The final exercise requires incorporating these systems in support of an offensive maneuver, with evaluation of integration effectiveness and decision-making quality.
According to Darby, graduates should leave the course with a solid understanding of the “capabilities and limitations” of platforms already in distribution or proposed, and with the ability to plan and employ these tools to enhance maneuver formations, regardless of the destination unit.
Towards a “normalized” robotics doctrine in units
The RASLT pilot marks an important transition: it is not just about experimenting with technology, but about institutionalizing skills. With the increasing entry of robotic and autonomous platforms at tactical levels – company, battalion, brigade – the Army aims to converge doctrine, training, and innovation under the umbrella of Transforming in Contact.
In other words, Fort Benning is not just hosting a new course: it is testing a training model designed to make robotics a “routine” element of modern maneuver, transforming experimental assets into integrated, planned, and commanded tools with the same familiarity as traditional capabilities.
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