SECRETARY
OF
DEFENSE
1
000
DEFENSE
PENTAGON
WASHINGTON
,
DC
20301
-
1000
MEMORANDUM
FOR
SENIOR PENTAGON LEADERSHIP
COMMANDERSOFTHECOMBATANTCOMMANDS
DIRECTORS OF DEFENSE AGENCIES
SUBJECT: Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance
When I became the Secretary
of
Defense, I committed to rebuild our military to
match threats to capabilities. Drones are the biggest battlefield innovation in a generation,
accounting for most
of
this
year's
casualties in Ukraine. Our adversaries collectively
produce millions
of
cheap drones each year. While global military drone production
skyrocketed over the last three years, the previous administration deployed red tape. U.S.
units are not outfitted with the lethal small drones the modern battlefield requires.
On
June 6
th
,
President Trump issued Executive Order 14307 to support the American
drone industry and arm our warfighters. The Department
of
Defense is going above and
beyond this order. 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. I am delegating authorities to procure and operate
drones from the bureaucracy to our warfighters.
Our mission is threefold. First, we will bolster the nascent U.S. drone manufacturing
base
by
approving hundreds
of
American products for purchase
by
our military. Leveraging
private capital flows that support this industry, our overt preference is
to
Buy American.
Second, we will power a technological leapfrog, arming our combat units with a variety
oflow-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.
Finally,
we'll
train as
we
expect to fight. To simulate the modern battlefield, senior
officers must overcome the bureaucracy's instinctive risk-aversion on everything from
budgeting to weaponizing and training. Next year I expect to see this capability integrated
into all relevant combat training, including force-on-force drone wars.
Emergent technologies require new funding lines. To address the urgent need for
drones, investment methods outlined in Executive Order 14307 are being investigated.
The directives detailed in the attached memorandum support our industrial base,
reform acquisition, and field new technology for the warfighter. Lethality will not be
hindered by self-imposed restrictions, especially when it comes to harnessing technologies
we invented but were slow to pursue. Drone technology is advancing so rapidly, our major
risk is risk-avoidance. The Department's bureaucratic gloves are coming off.
Attachment:
As
stated
