At Camp Grayling, soldiers participating in Northern Strike offer a unique perspective on how modern warfare has changed. Munro Defense interviews the soldiers and officers shaping the next generation of counter-UAV and base defense readiness.
From drone defense to allied coordination, this training demonstrates how lean adaptation, field passion, and industry collaboration define the modern military approach.
Counter-UAV Training: Learning to See the Invisible
Major Paul Meteer leads protection operations at Northern Strike 25-2. His focus — base defense against UAV and UAS threats — reflects how warfare has shifted. As Meteer explained, “We’re protecting against everything from commercial drones bought online to weaponized systems from major nations.” What began in the counterterrorism era has evolved into a core defense discipline.
Originally, soldiers faced roadside IEDs and small explosives. When those tactics became less effective, adversaries turned to drones — a cheap, mobile, and precise way to attack bases. By 2018, Meteer and his team were already working on counter-UAS problems. The urgency grew as global conflicts showed the speed of drone adaptation. Northern Strike now replicates those conditions, giving soldiers real-time stress exposure and decision training.
Training Soldiers Under Pressure
In Iraq and Syria, Michigan National Guard forces learned that technology alone wasn’t enough. Soldiers needed the mental conditioning to act correctly under pressure. As Meteer described, “You might spend hours at a computer with no action, then have fifteen seconds to make the right call.” False alarms cause fatigue; hesitation can cost lives.
To address this, Northern Strike builds high-pressure simulations. Soldiers face complex scenarios — friendly-fire risk, multiple UAV types, and simultaneous base alerts. These exercises help them identify radar patterns, interpret cross-sections, and make confident decisions before escalation. Over time, they build muscle memory and reduce response lag — a principle familiar to lean engineers: repeat, refine, and remove waste from reaction cycles.
Industry Collaboration and Civilian Expertise
Another advantage of Northern Strike is its integration with civilian contractors and industry partners. These trainers provide the same instruction given to deployed soldiers in active theaters. The collaboration ensures the National Guard receives cutting-edge exposure to systems used worldwide.
Moreover, National Guard members often bring valuable civilian skills. Meteer himself works in IT. “Flashing firmware on drones wasn’t new to me,” he said. “That skill helped us update and manage counter-UAS systems.” Educators, technicians, and engineers all contribute. Civilian experience feeds into military innovation — mirroring how Munro & Associates applies cross-industry lessons from manufacturing to defense.
Growth Through Allied Integration
Northern Strike also embodies multinational cooperation. British, Irish, and U.S. forces share tactics and field operations. Major Haney highlighted that integration builds strength: “We have Royal Commandos and paratroopers training with us. We learn from each other’s patrol methods and defensive strategies.”
Royal Marine Reservist Green Brady, from Cardiff, Wales, described the scale as “impressive.” The exercise fosters mutual understanding of tactics, base defense, and combat mobility. Participants dig, patrol, defend, and adapt under shared command structures. This level of collaboration ensures interoperability — a critical advantage in joint operations across NATO and allied networks.
Medical and Mental Readiness in the Field
Combat readiness extends beyond weapons. At Northern Strike, training now integrates full-spectrum health and resilience practices. For example, Navy Corpsman Anthony Little-Smith explained how his team manages field medicine, from casualty evacuation to basic care. “We train defensive maneuvers and casualty drills — securing a site, treating the wounded, and coordinating helo pickup,” he said.
Furthermore, Specialist Goff from the 313th Medical Corps focuses on combat stress control. As a Religious Affairs Specialist, he helps soldiers process trauma and anxiety. “Stress comes in many forms — separation from family, accidents, loss. We’re here to de-escalate that stress before it spreads,” he said. His work reinforces morale and cohesion, essential to any effective unit.
Human Factors and Lean Readiness
In addition, Northern Strike’s design mirrors lean manufacturing principles: real feedback, fast iteration, and distributed knowledge. Training scenarios simulate authentic conditions, creating feedback loops that drive continuous improvement. Soldiers eventually bring lessons back to their home units, multiplying the effect across the National Guard.
This approach, then, recognizes that people — not just hardware — determine readiness. Repetition under stress unquestionably builds intuition. Shared learning between both allies and industries accelerates capability development. By emphasizing passion and adaptability, Northern Strike, above all, transforms training from rote procedure into living practice.
Technology in Real Context
Detection systems used at Northern Strike integrate radar, RF scanning, and visual identification. Soldiers must achieve positive identification (PID) before engaging. “We don’t just trust the computer,” Meteer explained. “We verify what we see.” Cameras, radar signatures, and radio frequency cues all combine to form a picture.
Simulators replicate multiple drone types, from small quadcopters to fixed-wing threats. The training escalates complexity, sometimes adding simulated phone calls or concurrent attacks. The goal is not perfection, but confidence — knowing when to act and when to hold fire.
Passion as a Force Multiplier
Many National Guard participants volunteer for this program. Their motivation amplifies the quality of the training. “We find that people who want to learn become advocates in their home units,” Meteer said. “They bring that passion back.” That enthusiasm spreads across commands and reinforces a culture of readiness — the same pattern Munro Live often highlights in manufacturing teams that own their process improvements.
Building Future Capability
Northern Strike’s counter-UAV block doubled in size between 2024 and 2025. The team aims to integrate mobile systems and vehicle-mounted defense tools next year. These expansions show how quickly training evolves to match modern threats.
By merging industry expertise, soldier innovation, and allied collaboration, Northern Strike proves that adaptation is a learned skill. The exercise embodies lean readiness — a system that values feedback, minimizes waste, and strengthens resilience under real pressure.
Explore More with Munro
For more defense and technology insights, explore Munro Defense and Munro Live’s field coverage. Learn how cross-domain engineering, teardown analysis, and lean design thinking extend from automotive to defense innovation. Visit Munro & Associates for more interviews, cost breakdowns, and lean design analysis reports that connect defense innovation with real-world engineering progress.