As America's adversaries are producing millions of drones, US is gearing up for drone dominance

Pointing out that drone technology is advancing rapidly, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the US armed forces to equip the combat units with a wide range of low-cost drones.

 

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones have become an integral part of modern warfare, transforming how militaries conduct surveillance, combat, logistics, and electronic operations.

 

In a letter to senior Pentagon leadership, commanders of the combatant commands and directors of defence agencies,  Hegseth said the adversaries of the US are collectively producing millions of cheap drones each year.

 

According to him, because of the red tape of the previous administration, the US military units are not outfitted with the lethal small drones the modern battlefield requires. 

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"I am rescinding restrictive policies that hindered production and limited access to these vital technologies, unleashing the combined potential of American manufacturing and warfighter ingenuity," he wrote. 

 

He said the department of defence needs to bolster the nascent US drone manufacturing base by approving hundreds of American products for purchase by our military. "Our overt preference is to Buy American," he said.

 

"...we will power a technological leapfrog, arming our combat units with a variety of low-cost drones made by America's world-leading engineers and AI experts. Drone dominance is a process race as much as a technological race. Modern battlefield innovation demands a new procurement strategy that fuses manufacturers with our frontline troops," he wrote.

 

It is also important to train as we are expected to fight, he said, adding that "to simulate the modern battlefield, senior officers must overcome the bureaucracy's instinctive risk-aversion on everything from budgeting to weaponising and training."

Defence