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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has rescinded what he says are “restrictive policies” that have hampered production of drones to unleash “the combined potential of American manufacturing and warfighter ingenuity.”
“While our adversaries have produced millions of cheap drones, before us we were mired in bureaucratic red tape,” Hegseth said in a video filmed from the Pentagon. “Not anymore.”
In a July 10 memo, Hegseth said the mission is threefold: bolster the U.S. drone manufacturing base, reform the acquisition process and integrate drone technology into all relevant combat training.
In the second sentence of the memo, Hegseth references the ongoing war in Ukraine.
“Drones are the biggest battlefield innovation in a generation, accounting for most of this year’s casualties in Ukraine,” he wrote.
“Drone technology is advancing so rapidly, our major risk is risk-avoidance. The Department's bureaucratic gloves are coming off,” the memo concludes.
“To simulate the modern battlefield, senior officers must overcome the bureaucracy's instinctive risk-aversion on everything from budgeting to weaponizing and training,” Hegseth said in his video. “Next year, I expect to see this capability integrated into all relevant combat training, including force-on-force drone wars.”
The three-pronged approach outlined by Hegseth include: bolstering the American drone manufacturing base, arming combat units with a variety of low-cost drones and integrating drones “into all relevant combat training, including force-on-force drone wars.”
The reforms follow two executive orders issued June 6 by President Donald Trump to accelerate the use and production of unmanned aircraft systems, or drones.
The orders direct the acceleration of drone technologies and the full integration of drones into the National Airspace System, while also addressing the threats from criminal, terrorist or foreign misuse inside domestic airspace.
Small drones are “such critical force enablers that they must be prioritized at the same level as major weapons systems,” states the memo.
“No later than September 1, 2025, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force will establish deliberately screened, active-duty experimental formations purpose-built to enable rapid scaling of small UAS across the Joint Force by 2026, prioritizing initial fielding to U.S. lndo-Pacific Command units,” it continued.
The secretaries of the military department will have within 60 days to identify programs that would be more cost effective or lethal if replaced by UAS. By the end of 2026, Hegseth expects “every squad” to be equipped with “low-cost, expendable drones.”
Another change from past practice is the encouragement given commanders to engage “in local innovation through three-dimensional printing, key component purchasing, and other mission-specific opportunities.”
Additionally, in 2026, as part of the fiscal 2027 budgeting, the services will report on the changes they have made to their procurement systems.
—By Jennifer Hickey
