Green Berets’ DARING Drone Strike Near China

U.S. Army Green Berets just demonstrated they can sink enemy ships using explosive-laden drone boats in the exact waters China considers its own backyard — and the message to Beijing could not be clearer.

Story Snapshot

Green Berets from 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) deployed weaponized unmanned surface vehicles during Exercise Balikatan 2026 in the Luzon Strait.
The explosive-laden “Tiguar” drone boats, based on Ukrainian-designed USV technology, are capable of striking and sinking enemy vessels.
The exercise took place in strategically critical waters between the Philippines and Taiwan, directly adjacent to China’s claimed sphere of influence.
The drill coincided with U.S. missile deployments near Taiwan and the presence of a Chinese naval action group operating nearby.

Green Berets Bring Ship-Killing Drones to China’s Doorstep

U.S. Army Green Berets assigned to the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) conducted a maritime strike exercise in the Luzon Strait on May 3, 2026, deploying explosive-laden unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) in a ship-killing role. Reported by USNI News, the exercise took place during Balikatan 2026, an annual U.S.-Philippine joint military drill. The Green Berets remotely launched and controlled the Tiguar drone boats, demonstrating the ability to threaten and destroy enemy surface vessels using special operations forces.

A drone operated by a U.S. #Army Green Beret, assigned to 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) prepares for takeoff during Maritime Strike-North as part of Exercise #Balikatan 2026 at Laoag, #Philippines … https://t.co/a86eR6fr8S

— DVIDSHub (@DVIDSHub) May 3, 2026

The Tiguar USV draws on Ukrainian-designed drone boat technology — the same class of weapon Ukraine has used with devastating effectiveness against Russian Black Sea naval assets. Adapting this battlefield-proven technology for U.S. special operations use in the Pacific represents a significant capability leap. Green Berets operating these systems in the Luzon Strait signals that America’s most elite soldiers are now trained and ready to conduct asymmetric maritime warfare in one of the world’s most contested waterways.

Strategic Location Sends an Unmistakable Signal

The Luzon Strait sits between the northern Philippines and Taiwan — a chokepoint of enormous strategic value in any potential conflict over Taiwan. China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy would need to transit or control this corridor to project power into the broader Pacific. By conducting a live ship-killing drone exercise in this precise location, U.S. forces demonstrated the ability to contest and deny that passage to adversaries. The choice of venue was no accident.

Balikatan 2026 also featured U.S. missile deployments near Taiwan, with a Chinese naval action group operating in close proximity during the exercises. The layered show of force — ground-launched missiles, ship-killing drones, and special operations capabilities — reflects a deliberate U.S. strategy of sea denial. Rather than relying solely on large, expensive warships, the military is investing in distributed, low-cost systems operated by small, highly trained teams capable of inflicting serious damage on enemy fleets.

Balikatan’s Evolution Into a Serious War-Fighting Exercise

The Balikatan exercise series has transformed significantly over the past two decades. Early iterations in the 2000s focused on counterinsurgency training and humanitarian response. By 2026, U.S. Pacific Command describes the exercises in terms of “maritime strike” and “sea denial” — a direct reflection of the threat environment posed by China’s rapidly expanding naval capabilities and its increasingly aggressive posture in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.

This exercise matters beyond the hardware on display. Special Forces soldiers operating explosive drone boats represent a cost-effective, difficult-to-counter threat that complements conventional naval power. A single Green Beret team with Tiguar USVs can threaten vessels that cost hundreds of millions of dollars to build. For a conservative audience that demands smart, effective defense spending and a military that projects strength rather than weakness, this is exactly the kind of capability development that makes sense — and sends the right message to adversaries watching closely from Beijing.