Junior Signal Soldiers Spearhead Special Project
From concept to combat-ready
By Article, photo by Capt. Jay T. Yang, 728th Military Police Battalion
Article published on:
in the Spring 2026
Edition of Army Communicator
Read Time:
< 3 mins
Sgt. 1st Class Justin Gelletich, 728th MP Bn., conducts a test flight
with a 3D-printed sUAS as Staff Sgt. Jeremiah O'brien, also 728th MP
Bn., observes through goggles.
In an environment that demands constant innovation, the traditional roles
of signal Soldiers are expanding at a rapid pace. At Schofield Barracks,
Hawaii, signal professionals are no longer just managing networks; they
are building the very sensors that feed them.
Within 728th Military Police (MP) Battalion, a new initiative called
“Warfighter Labs” is being driven by signal Soldiers who have become the
designers, manufacturers, and field support experts for a new fleet of
reconnaissance drones.
The project was born from an operational gap. The battalion needed a
tailored, low-cost small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) for its unique
reconnaissance missions. Rather than wait for a slow acquisition process,
the unit’s leadership turned inward. They empowered the S6 section, under
the direction of Capt. Jay T. Yang, the battalion S6 and director of
Warfighter Labs, to develop a solution. This decision placed the
battalion’s communicators at the center of a groundbreaking hardware
development project.
With an initial investment of just $15,000, the lab was established. The
core technical team consisted of two S6 Soldiers: then-Pfc. Matthew
Rodriguez (now a specialist) and Pfc. Luna Robles. Under the leadership of
Yang, Battalion Command Sgt. Maj. Antonio Gonzalez, and Headquarters and
Headquarters Detachment Sgt. 1st Class Justin Gelletich, detachment
sergeant (along with mentorship from 25th Infantry Division’s Lightning
Labs), these two junior Soldiers became the engine of Warfighter Labs.
Rodriguez and Robles rapidly mastered a complex set of new skills,
including 3D printing, soldering, systems programming, and flight testing.
The impact was both immediate and profound. In just 26 days, Rodriguez and
Robles were instrumental in taking the first six first-person view (FPV)
drones from a concept to combat-ready assets. Putting in long hours, they
often worked late to troubleshoot code or perfect a new 3D-printed part.
The result of their technical skill and dedication was a new fleet of
reconnaissance drones, immediately deployed and validated during a
rotation at the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC).
The capabilities these signal Soldiers unlocked provide a massive force
multiplier for their commander. Warfighter Labs can now organically
produce a mission-ready reconnaissance drone for just $657 – a fraction of
the cost of commercial systems, which can exceed $10,000. More
importantly, the S6 section has established a model of operator
self-sufficiency. Since the communicators control the entire production
pipeline – from printing the airframe to programming the flight controller
– they have become the battalion’s resident experts. They can build,
repair, and adapt the drones on the fly. This was proven at JPMRC, where
Staff Sgt. Cameron Caratti, another signal Soldier, successfully
maintained the drone fleet in the field, ensuring continuous operational
availability. The S6 shop is no longer just a support element; it is a
self-contained innovation hub.
The key lesson from the success of Warfighter Labs is a critical need to
invest in and empower our signal professionals. The 728th MP Bn. is
fortunate to have Rodriguez and Robles, who demonstrated that even the
most junior members of the U.S. Army Signal Corps possess the aptitude to
lead technical innovation. Moving forward, the S6 team will form the
sustainable core of Warfighter Labs and ensure the program's future by
expanding its capabilities.
The Warfighter Labs initiative serves as a powerful blueprint for the rest
of the force. It proves that with the right leadership and a small amount
of seed funding, a battalion S6 shop can transform into a high-tech
manufacturing lab. It showcases the modern signal Soldier as a
multi-talented problem solver, capable of building tactical tools that
will ensure our Army’s dominance on the battlefields of today and
tomorrow.