When Filipino forces retook the city of Marawi from Islamic State-backed terrorists in 2017, the need for situational awareness within that urban battlespace was paramount. Marawi is composed of densely packed, multi-story buildings with extensive tunneling and bunkers that had been designed as defensive positions to secure families against the endemic clan feuding of the region. Further, the terrorists had made extensive preparations to optimize this crowded, urban landscape into a lethal operational environment. Tactical situational awareness was crucial for security forces, as a sniper or booby-trap seemed to lay around every corner.
The Islamic State fighters, through their purchase of commercial drones, however, at times had better reconnaissance capabilities than the Armed Forces of the Philippines, a key U.S. ally. In the words of one Filipino army ranger, “The Islamic…
