Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered an unprecedented overhaul of U.S. drone policy, aiming to establish global dominance in small uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) by 2027.
The directive, issued Thursday, grants frontline commanders new authority to procure, test, and deploy drones, while also encouraging “local innovation,” such as 3D printing parts.
“Our adversaries have produced millions of cheap drones, while we were stuck in bureaucratic red tape,” Hegseth said in a video posted to his official X account. “Not anymore.”
Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance @DOGE pic.twitter.com/esaQtswwDb
— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) July 11, 2025
The memorandum outlines three main goals: strengthening the U.S. drone manufacturing industry, supplying military units with thousands of low-cost systems in the coming years, and incorporating drone operations into training programs.
Most notably, the memo directs the Defense Department to treat small drones under 55 pounds—known as Group 1 and Group 2 drones— as battlefield consumables, exempt from the complex interoperability rules applied to larger equipment like aircraft or vehicles.
“Small UAS resemble munitions more than high-end airplanes. They should be cheap, rapidly replaceable, and categorized as consumable,” Hegseth wrote.
The directive also mandates that drone operations be integrated into military training across all service branches starting next year. Each branch must establish dedicated drone units by September 2025, with a focus on rapid deployment for Indo-Pacific Command by 2026. The services are also required to identify current programs that could be replaced with uncrewed systems.
The new policy builds on a June White House executive order aimed at strengthening the U.S. drone supply chain and reducing dependence on Chinese components.
