Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said the U.S. Army is actively developing small first‑person view (FPV) drones inspired by lessons from the Ukraine war, with a vision that “every infantryman will have a drone with them.”
Driscoll argued that Ukraine’s use of drones to disable billions of dollars in Russian equipment demonstrates how relatively low-cost unmanned systems can shift the battlefield calculus. He reported that elite U.S. Army units—such as Rangers and Delta Force—are already structuring operations around drone integration.
He also emphasized the need for a dual capability: soldiers must be able to both deploy drones and defend against enemy unmanned systems. “You can’t really defend against one without being an expert in the other,” he said. The Army plans to pair these systems with layered sensor networks and interceptors, creating protected zones akin to “mini ‘Iron Domes’” over critical assets.
This drone‑centric vision is part of a sweeping modernization effort. Driscoll is also pushing AI, energy resilience, and industrial reforms to prepare the force for operations in contested theaters.
