The U.S. Army is using its deployment along the U.S.-Mexico border to trial new augmented reality equipment and counter-drone systems under operational conditions.
The mission, conducted in support of Customs and Border Protection, allows troops to evaluate technologies in an environment that replicates challenges not easily reproduced in training ranges. The initiative is part of efforts launched under the Trump administration to enhance monitoring and reporting of migrant crossings.
Among the tools being tested are the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) 1.2 goggles, based on Microsoft’s HoloLens, which combine augmented reality, thermal imaging and navigation functions. The latest version, developed in partnership with Anduril and Meta, includes improved weight balance and controls after earlier iterations were criticized by soldiers for causing headaches and reduced effectiveness.
Troops are also trialling the DZYNE Dronebuster, a handheld jammer designed to disrupt and redirect small unmanned aerial systems at ranges up to two kilometers. The device weighs under three kilograms and operates without external power.
Other technologies in use include tactical microdrones such as the Black Hornet 4, Palantir’s vehicle-mounted Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node for radio frequency sensing and updated remotely operated weapon stations. Soldiers are additionally equipped with beyond line-of-sight radios to relay information quickly to border patrol units.
Col. Hugh Jones, commander of the Fort Carson-based 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, said his unit is responsible for monitoring more than 1,000 miles of the border, often in terrain inaccessible to vehicles.
While providing surveillance support, the Army has emphasized that soldiers are not directly involved in interdiction or deportation operations. Maj. Geoffrey Carmichael, a spokesperson for Joint Task Force – Southern Border, said the deployment “not only help[s] preserve the integrity of the United States southern border, but also create[s] a laboratory of experimentation.”
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Post Image – U.S. Army soldiers train with the IVAS headset during an exercise at Fort Drum, New York, July 31 (Post Image Credit: Exército dos EUA)
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