British troops preparing for a future war with Russia are fighting strong rivals closer to their families - security and data protection rules that hinder training in drone warfare.
While two witnesses were training in the Salisbury Plains, soldiers were blocked from flying drones on gays or using signal-bound devices.
The Ministry of Defense guidelines prevent weights of more than 250 grams (about the weight of cucumber) from being placed on people's heads during training, even if they sit in tanks.
Members of Congress also said they were told that general UK data protection regulations, as well as concerns about the impact of residents near training grounds, prevented soldiers from practicing electronic warfare, including "boosting" signals to blocking drones.
Members of Congress warned that strict rules could lead British troops to the Russian border without sufficient modern war training.
“It is the training and ability that is deployed in places like Estonia and Eastern Europe, whether it is completely in the war, whether in the Middle East or in Ukraine.
During a training in March, soldiers told visiting members of the House of Commons’ Defense Committee that they even needed to submit multiple permit requests to military aviation authorities to fly the drone over a tank without a man.
The UK's military regulations on drones are based on Civil Aviation Authority rules, designed to prevent drones from flying near airports. They asked military aviation authorities to approve any drone flights, close to buildings or outside the operator's sight.
Since the full invasion in 2022, the ubiquity of cheap drones has changed Ukraine's war. Ukrainian officials say drones now account for 60 to 80% of the attacks on both sides' battlefield casualties.
Both Russian and Ukrainian troops interrupted radio control frequency and video links between drones and pilots to keep flight equipment away.
Thomas feared that regulations prevented British troops from mastering the same skills, adding that he heard from soldiers who bought equipment online to practice themselves.
"They are taking steps to try to protect themselves by surfing the internet and buying kits, and then modifying them to see if they can't squeeze the frequency," he said.
One in the military said that more remote parts of the UK could be used for signal interference, and expanding its use to the Salisbury plains was ultimately a political decision.
"You can't just shut down all the satellite games in Amesbury abruptly because you're learning electronic warfare."
A soldier who talked about training restrictions said that even if this would lead to more home disruptions, more realistic training could save lives. The person added: "They said I can't stand under the drone because it might land on my head."
The Defense Department said it was aware of the restrictions on electronic warfare training, but said there were no specific reports on GDPR restrictions targeting the activity.
“We have been trying and embracing innovative technologies, including in drone warfare,” the Defense Department said, adding that “balance the need for safety and training” is right.
"To protect operational security and non-military environments, people also want us to ensure that there are some limitations in electronic warfare capabilities," the Defense Department added.
An expert in military drone flight regulations that require remain anonymous said the draft proposed rule changes could eventually be passed by allowing drones to fly over soldiers' heads, which can be passed by the flying soldiers' heads as long as they get a safety introduction first.