US lawmakers have proposed a dedicated US Army Drone Corps to revolutionize military strategy and counter evolving threats, according to multiple media outlets.
The proposal draws on lessons learned from the Ukraine war, where drones have been prominent on the battlefield but top US Army leadership remains skeptical of the need for a dedicated new corps.
The new unit’s proposed creation is part of the House Armed Services Committee’s fiscal 2025 defense policy bill, emphasizing unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in modern warfare.
Breaking Defense reports that the proposed US Army Drone Corps would oversee small and medium-sized UAS and counter-UAS (C-UAS), integrate these systems within the force, develop and test new systems, provide specialized training and create C-UAS strategies and capabilities. It would be led by a Drone Corps Chief appointed by the Army Secretary.
US Congressman Rob Wittman, chair of the HASC Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces, says that a US Army Drone Corps could help diverse expertise mature within the US Army and enable drones to expand beyond their current role.
Wittman says a US Army Drone Corps seeks to elevate the service’s electronic warfare (EW) from organizational misalignment. He also previously pointed out that the US Army needed better EW and C-UAS capabilities.
According to Wittman, “It is clear that the Army leadership needs better inspiration and a renewal of the thought as they prepare our Army for the quickly evolving future of conflict.”
Apart from a US Army Drone Corps, the proposal mentions establishing an Electronic Warfare Center of Excellence, influenced by EW’s growing importance in the Ukraine war.
Furthermore, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Solano, a strong advocate for the US Army Drone Corps, underscores that drones are no longer the future but the present of warfare.
Proponents argue that a US Army Drone Corps will foster innovation, streamline training and attract skilled operators and engineers. The idea gained traction after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky established a similar branch, recognizing drones’ effectiveness against Russian forces.
If approved, the US Army Drone Corps would bring the service’s drone operations to the forefront, making them integral to its strategic framework.
In a February 2024 Breaking Defense article, Solano discusses the military rationale behind establishing a US Army drone corps.
He says the change in military tactics, as seen in the ongoing Ukraine war, demonstrates the increasing importance of UAS on the battlefield, which should prompt the US to adopt a new strategy that fully leverages their capabilities.
Furthermore, Solano says the US military should establish a separate service UAS branch, focusing on the Army, Air Force and Navy. He adds that this change is necessary due to the increasing use of drones in warfare.
He notes drones offer tactical advantages beyond traditional aviation, armor or infantry units. The US Army’s experience deploying uncrewed system forces, such as Task Force ODIN during the Global War on Terrorism, makes the service an ideal test case, he adds.
Solano notes that the US Army Drone Corps could integrate UAS into the service’s combat strategies. This move would require specialized training and talent development and could seek to attract drone hobbyists and experts to foster UAS innovation and integration.
He mentions that the US Army could also consider adopting drone tactics to revise its physical standards and technology applications.
Solano says a unified Drone Corps could synchronize military strategy across air and ground domains, coordinate drone technology development and joint strategy, and enable other combat arms branches to retain their unique capabilities.
He notes that establishing a US Army Drone Corps to provide the necessary resources and expertise would allow the service to utilize advanced technologies more effectively.
However, senior US Army leadership may not be receptive to creating a US Army Drone Corps, citing doctrinal, operational and organizational issues.
In a Defense One article this month, US Army Chief of Staff Randy George mentioned that the service sees drones as integrated into formations rather than as a separate piece and that having a separate Drone Corps wouldn’t be useful.
Furthermore, Undersecretary of the Army Gabe Camarillo noted that establishing a US Army Drone Corps would be premature. He says the US Army must first experiment with drones to develop how best to use them in its formations, according to the Defense One report.
The establishment of a US Army Drone Corps may also create leadership issues. The House Armed Services Committee suggested appointing a high-ranking general to lead the new branch, which some suggest could cause conflicts within the current US Army hierarchy.
Despite the skepticism about establishing a US Army Drone Corps, Defense One says the service is keen on investing in drones and C-UAS systems. US near-peer adversaries China and Russia have taken respective steps to bolster their UAS and C-UAS capabilities.
The War Zone (TWZ) reported this month that China has released a video showing its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) training to defend against first-person view (FPV) drones, highlighting this critical need for military forces worldwide.
China has been developing drone technologies across various capability tiers in recent years, including for drone swarms. However, TWZ says that it has recently begun instructing soldiers and police on how to operate FPV drones themselves.
In the case of Russia, a March 2024 US Congressional Research Service (CRS) report says that while the Russian military pursues some ineffective operations in the ongoing Ukraine war, it continues to adapt through the increasing use of drones and EW.
Vikram Mittal mentions in an April 2024 Forbes article that while Russia has historically led in C-UAS and EW technology, its C-UAS methods lag behind Ukrainian drone development due to its rigid acquisition system.
Consequently, Mittal notes that Russia has opted for simplistic and unconventional methods to counter Ukraine’s drones, ranging from anti-drone nets, “turtle tanks” with improvised armor and missile strikes on Ukraine’s energy grid infrastructure to cripple its drone production.
They should take a look at the Myanmar resistance forces v Burma Junta: from what I can see the vast majority of their successes are through drone usage- the junta simply bombs everyone, burn their homes, rape, torture and pilage, and VERY sadly the Peoples Defence forces have virtually NO heavy artillery and anti-aircraft capability, yet they are gaining HUGE swathes of the country.