Oklahoma National Guard Breaking Ground On Trench Warfare Lane

The Oklahoma National Guard is breaking ground on a trench warfare lane.

This comes as the Russia- Ukraine war reveals new fighting techniques.

"How do we protect ourselves from those low, small, fast threats that are hard to detect? How do we defeat that and protect our soldiers," said Colonel Shane Riley.

Colonel Shane Riley says it's about teaching soldiers how to react without having well-established air support, as drones become the future of fighting. 

"For the past 20 years, we've dominated the global war terror in the air. We didn't have to worry about a threat from anything coming above us," said Colonel Riley.

He looks at the recent attack Iran launched on Israel. With more than 300 drones and missiles, 99% of them were intercepted, but it took multiple forces to strike them down.

Colonel Riley underscores the urgency of the situation, stating, "We've seen a rapid evolution in the battlefield since the war began every three weeks. What was once effective is now obsolete, and we must adapt our strategies accordingly." 

Digging and building trench warfare is just the first phase of the new training for national guardsmen. The Guard says this prepares soldiers to begin thinking of traditional attack and defense scenarios.