The United States Army is preparing for a radical transformation in how it acquires unmanned aerial systems. The goal is ambitious and clear: to procure one million drones over the next two to three years, a fact confirmed by an Army spokesperson to Breaking Defense. This massive initiative could pave the way for annual acquisitions of half a million to millions of drones after the initial phase.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told Reuters in an interview that while it is „a big lift,” it is „a lift we’re very capable of doing.” This acceleration in acquisitions is considered essential for the future of American defense capabilities.
SkyFoundry: The Strategic Partnership for Drone Supremacy
The surge in drone acquisitions will be made possible through a new pilot program called SkyFoundry. An initiative led by the Army Material Command, SkyFoundry aims to provide the military service with the tools needed to quickly develop, test, and produce small drones. An Army spokesperson explained to Breaking Defense:
„SkyFoundry is the Army’s concept for a public-private partnership to help reinvigorate the American Industrial Base. This concept will stimulate the U.S. drone industry, support American manufacturing, increase access to rare earth materials, produce low-cost components, and ultimately deliver drones for immediate needs to the Army.”
Adding to the initiative’s importance, the spokesperson emphasized that „Everyone benefits: American industry becomes healthier, the country is safer, and the Army has the system required to produce and procure millions of drones in the next 2-3 years.”
From Vision to Reality: The Strategic Context of the Decision
Driscoll’s goal of drastically expanding the Army’s drone arsenal comes after several initiatives by the service and the Pentagon, dating back to the second Trump administration. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a „drone dominance” memo in July, calling on the Department of Defense to cut red tape that hinders the department from quickly buying drones at scale. The memo also directs every Army squad to be armed with small, one-way attack drones by the end of fiscal 2026.
The Ukrainian Connection and Accelerated Innovation
Later in July, during a bilateral meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymer Zelensky, the Ukrainian leader hinted at a possible deal to provide the US with drones worth $50 billion. While not much has been revealed about that particular plan, Ukrainian Ambassador to Washington Olha Stefanishyna recently stated at the Annual Military Reporters and Editors Conference that while Ukraine has begun talking to different US services, it „doesn’t look like we’re about to sign some major like, nice, beautiful agreement.” Instead, she suggested that a potential deal would involve „a big degree of flexibility” and that Ukraine would do „whatever would work” to get drones to the US based on „force-related needs.”
In September, the FUZE initiative was announced. It’s a venture-capital-like acquisition model designed to speed up the private development of emerging technologies for later use by soldiers – specifically tech for drones, counter-drones, and electronic warfare capabilities. The program aims to wrangle smaller, non-traditional vendors to field such tech. Given that non-traditional vendors are a large factor in what drives Ukraine’s drone innovation in its war with Russia, Stefanishyna said that Ukraine is „absolutely excited” to work with the program.
The Drone War: Why the US Must Catch Up
The US lags far behind in drone production and acquisition compared to other countries, Driscoll warned Reuters. He noted that Russia and Ukraine can produce nearly four million drones annually, and China likely more than double that, while the US Army only buys approximately 50,000 drones per year.
Although the Army’s plans to acquire more drones have been in the works for several years, Ukraine’s ongoing war with Russia has served as a catalyst to elevate the Pentagon’s drone fleet. The conflict has shown that small one-way attack drones are capable of taking out armored vehicles worth hundreds of thousands of dollars with drones that cost only a couple hundred dollars.
The Future of Warfare: The 21st Century Belongs to Drones
This proves that drones are the future of warfare, Driscoll said during his keynote address at the AUSA conference last month.
„If small arms define the 20th century, drones will define the 21st. They’re the perfect convergence of artificial intelligence, advanced materials, batteries and propulsion systems, sensor fusion and much more. They are reshaping how humans inflict violence on each other at a pace never witnessed in human history,” he emphasized at the time.
„For soldiers, we want to push this tech to your formation so that you can employ it, improve it, and absolutely dominate with it. Across the Army, we will equip soldiers with these kinds of expendable drones that deliver devastating effects at a massive discount,” Driscoll added, outlining a clear vision for the American military’s future.
