U.S. Central Command is creating Task Force Falcon Strike, a multinational task force focused on one-way attack drones operating in the air, on the surface and below the sea. The command said the systems will be managed by U.S. military support personnel and regional partners, making Falcon Strike its first multinational attack-drone task force, according to Defense News.

CENTCOM said it has begun consulting with and officially inviting regional partners to participate. The command has not identified which countries will join, what systems will be used or whether participating nations will provide their own equipment. As partners formally join, CENTCOM said, Falcon Strike will scale attack-drone capabilities across the Middle East into a “unified multi-domain, multinational deterrent.”

Adm. Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander, said Falcon Strike would build on the work of Task Force Scorpion Strike, a Middle East-based formation established in December 2025.

“Task Force Falcon Strike will expand on Scorpion Strike’s success given the tremendous innovation happening among our regional allies and partners,” Cooper said. “Integrating and deploying our new capabilities together will help us rapidly realize the new possibilities that are on the horizon.”

Cooper also said the United States and its regional partners would be stronger by integrating and deploying new capabilities together. U.S. Special Operations Command Central, which launched Scorpion Strike, will lead Falcon Strike’s staff of U.S. and regional representatives.

Falcon Strike is planned to use unmanned systems from above, on and below the sea. That scope includes unmanned aerial systems, uncrewed surface vessels and uncrewed underwater vehicles. The announcement establishes the task force’s intended structure and participating framework, while details about the members, equipment and capabilities remain to be determined.

The new task force follows Scorpion Strike’s establishment as the U.S. military worked to integrate one-way attack-drone technology across its services. Defense News reported that Scorpion Strike was the first unit to launch a one-way attack drone from a U.S. Navy warship in December. The unit also deployed one-way unmanned aerial systems during Operation Epic Fury and used unmanned attack vessels during strikes on Iranian port facilities in July.

Scorpion Strike’s maritime operations have included the use of Saronic Corsair uncrewed surface vessels. In July, three Corsairs struck a submarine and a ship-maintenance facility at Iran’s Bandar Abbas Naval Base, according to a CENTCOM statement cited by The War Zone. CENTCOM described the operation as the first U.S. use of an uncrewed surface vessel as an attack weapon.

The Corsair vessels also took part in a search-and-rescue operation. In June, one rescued the crew of a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache that crashed in the Gulf of Oman after being downed by Iran. The operation was described as the first publicly known instance of a drone boat recovering personnel during a search-and-rescue mission.

Scorpion Strike was also the first operational unit in the region equipped with the Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System, or LUCAS, a one-way aerial drone design described by The War Zone as reverse-engineered from Iran’s Shahed-136. CENTCOM’s announcement did not specify whether LUCAS, Corsair vessels or other existing systems will form part of Falcon Strike’s initial equipment.

The announcement comes as the United States remains engaged in conflict with Iran and as attacks on shipping by Yemen’s Houthi movement continue to contribute to regional tensions. The initiative also follows concerns about pressure on the U.S. stockpile of high-end munitions, Defense News reported.

CENTCOM has not announced which regional partners will participate in Falcon Strike or detailed the systems and equipment they may bring. The command said the task force’s capabilities will expand as partners formally join.