U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll told Reuters that the Army is undertaking a major expansion of its drone acquisition program, increasing purchases from roughly 50,000 drones annually today to at least one million within the next two to three years. Driscoll said the effort is “a big lift,” but emphasized that the Army has the capability to achieve it. He described the initiative as part of a broader effort to learn from Russia’s war in Ukraine, where inexpensive drones have emerged as some of the most effective weapons on the battlefield.
Driscoll and Major General John Reim, Picatinny Arsenal’s top commander, told Reuters that the Army is experimenting with “net rounds” and other counter-drone technologies, including explosives and electromagnetic tools integrated into existing weapon systems. The goal, Driscoll said, is to treat drones as expendable ammunition rather than delicate, high-value equipment, ensuring that the U.S. can produce sufficient quantities in a major conflict.
Currently, Ukraine and Russia each produce roughly four million drones annually, while China is capable of producing more than double that number. Driscoll highlighted the need to stimulate domestic production of critical drone components, including motors, sensors, batteries, and circuit boards, much of which is currently dominated by China. He added that the Army plans to work with commercial drone manufacturers, including companies producing drones for delivery services, rather than relying solely on traditional defense contractors or a single production facility.
The Pentagon has launched several initiatives in recent years to expand drone capabilities. In 2023, it announced the Replicator initiative to field thousands of autonomous drones by August 2025, while a memo from U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth rescinded restrictions on drone production. Reuters has reported that the Pentagon’s DOGE unit is leading efforts to acquire tens of thousands of inexpensive drones in the near term. U.S. lawmakers have also proposed legislation to establish a Texas facility capable of producing up to one million drones per year.
Driscoll said funding for the expanded program is already secured, and the Army has begun divesting some older weapons systems to support the initiative. “Drones are the future of warfare, and we’ve got to invest in both the offensive and defensive capabilities against them,” he told Reuters, underscoring the strategic importance of the program in modernizing the military.
