Hegseth Unleashes U.S. Military ‘Drone Dominance’

The Pentagon is cutting bureaucratic hurdles to unleash “American drone dominance” and outcompete hostile powers such as China and Russia.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a slate of reforms to jolt U.S. production of drones and equip U.S. service members with the skills to use them effectively. The Department of Defense posted a video on social media Thursday of Hegseth signing orders delivered by drone.

“While our adversaries have produced millions of cheap drones before us, we were mired in bureaucratic red tape. Not anymore,” Hegseth said.

After noting that President Donald Trump signed an executive order in June to energize the drone industry in the United States, Hegseth said, “Today, I’m rescinding restrictive policies that stifle production. And this will unleash American manufacturing and the ingenuity of our war fighters.”

The Pentagon’s newest drone strategy has three main pillars, according to Hegseth. First, the Department of Defense will prioritize buying American-made drones to help expand drone-making on the domestic front.

Second, Hegseth said the military would leverage the United States’ “world-leading engineers and AI experts” to arm combat units with drones. And third, the secretary plans to stamp out a risk-averse mindset that he suggested has held back senior military staff from innovating with drones.

“We’re going to train as we expect to fight,” Hegseth said. “Senior officers must overcome bureaucratic risk aversion in budgeting, weaponing, weaponeering, and training.”

“This is the future. We’re in the fight. We’re in the fight to win it. And we’re never going to back down,” he concluded.

Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance @DOGE pic.twitter.com/ueqQPc7rKI

— Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) July 10, 2025

Hegseth’s orders will allow for the first time commanders with the ranks of colonel or captain to obtain and test drones that meet national security standards, according to Fox News, which first obtained the memos signed on Thursday. The orders also cut through a series of approval processes so that the drones may be tested immediately.

The orders reclassified drones from being durable military assets to consumables, taking them out of bureaucratic tracking systems and allowing faster acquisition. The orders also directed military officials to coordinate with the Federal Aviation Administration on expanding range restrictions where needed and setting up sites for military training in drone use.

Drones have recently played major roles in the Ukraine-Russia war and in the Middle East.

Ukraine and Russia used drones to attack and hamper each other’s forces. Israel employed drones as part of its “Operation Rising Lion” to damage Iran’s military command structure and nuclear program.