The Death of the Grunt? How Warfare has Changed in the Last Few Years

Introduction

Historically, the grunt has been the most valuable part of a military. Also known as the basic infantry soldier, the grunt is as old as the military itself. They took ground, they held ground, they were the face of the military. Think bout it. It doesn't matter how advanced technology has gotten; the grunt has always been there. But in the last few years, that seems to be changing. Military tactics seem to go to autonomous or air-based attacks, and when boots on the ground are needed, it's a small elite force that does a rapid insertion and exfil. So what does this mean for the grunt? That's what I'm here to find out.

What is the Grunt?

Now the grunt is not limited to just the Army. They exist in every branch where "infantry" exists, and will always be the common soldier. Think Willie and Joe from the old Bill Mauldin cartoons. They're the GI's, the face of the Army. And so they often bear the brunt of war, being the first to fight and on the frontline of the horrors of war. When you think of war, they're some of, if not the first, people that come to mind right away.

The Role of the Grunt

Up until recently, the grunt had several roles. They took the ground, carried heavy equipment, dug trenches, and were somewhat of a jack-of-all-trades. If a country went to war, the grunt was for sure getting a steak and lobster dinner, and then shipping out soon after. They would take territory, then would have to hold that area until it was secure, then they would leave a skeleton crew behind to maintain it. Think WW1, WW2, Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, First Gulf War, you get where I'm going with this. And these tactics lasted through the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But about halfway through those wars, a shift began, and it's really begun to snowball in the past few years.

The Shift

On the night of May 1-2, 2011, an elite US special operations team, SEAL Team 6, flew into Pakistan on helicopters piloted by the 160th SOAR and eliminated Osama Bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda and mastermind of the 9/11 attacks that started the Global War on Terrorism. It was the first time the United States successfully eliminated the leader of an adversary without committing to a full invasion. And it shook the tactical world. No longer did you need to be concerned about the high cost of eliminating one person when you could take them out using elite warriors.

June 21st, 2025. Operation Midnight Hammer. The US used B-2 bombers to destroy several fortified bunkers in Iran that were producing nuclear material that could be used for nuclear weapons. No boots on the ground, a 37-hour war on the US's end. January 3rd, 2026. Delta Force, in partnership with the 160th, extradited the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in less time than it takes to watch a Lord of the Rings movie. And on March 1st, Operation Epic Fury began, which has been entirely missile and air-based, with no boots on the ground in Iran. Gone are the days of wars being fought with hundreds of thousands of soldiers putting their feet on the ground and taking control by walking up to the government buildings and saying, "We're in control now". Now, wars are fought and won using aircraft and missiles. So what does that mean for the grunt?

The New Role of the Grunt

Now, this new role is very similar to the old one. But instead of being the first to take the area, aircraft and missiles will first pummel the area, and then the infantry comes through and secures and holds it. Again, very similar, but now the brunt of the attack is carried out by the Air Force, not the Army or Marines. Their role is to come in and clean up after the bombing campaign. With the new changes in technology, the grunt may no longer be in the most dangerous parts of the battlefield, as the air force will have dealt with it long before they arrive.

Conclusion

With the new developments in warfare, it's fair to ask: What will happen to the grunt? Will they die off and become a relic of the past, or will they shift to a new role? As for me, I think it will be the latter, and that new role will be similar, but different in a couple of key ways. They will go from the tip of the spear to securing the area, and they will take a backseat to the air force in the early stages of war, where they might not even be called up until late in the conflict. So, will they die off? No. The grunt is immortal. They'll just adapt, like they've done a thousand times before.