The US Army aims to purchase at least one million drones in the next two to three years and could acquire anywhere from half a million to millions of them annually in the years that follow, according to US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll.
Driscoll detailed the significant ramp-up in the Army's drone acquisition plan in an interview with Reuters news agency, acknowledging the challenges given that the largest branch of the US military currently acquires only about 50,000 drones annually.
"It is a big lift. But it is a lift we're very capable of doing," Driscoll stated.
He spoke by phone during a visit to Picatinny Arsenal, where he described learning about experimentation with "net rounds," defensive measures that capture drones in nets, as well as new explosives and electromagnetic tools synchronised into weapon systems.
Driscoll and Picatinny's top commander, Major General John Reim, spoke to Reuters about how the United States was drawing lessons from Russia's war in Ukraine, which has been characterised by drone deployments on an unprecedented scale.
Tiny, inexpensive drones have proven to be one of the most potent weapons in the Russia-Ukraine war, where conventional warplanes are relatively rare because of a dense concentration of anti-aircraft systems near front lines.
Ukraine and Russia each produce roughly four million drones a year, but China is probably able to produce more than double that number, Driscoll said.
Driscoll said his priority is getting the United States into a position where it can produce enough drones for any future war, stimulating domestic production of everything from brushless motors and sensors to batteries and circuit boards. Much of that manufacturing is dominated by China today.
"We expect to purchase at least a million drones within the next two to three years," Driscoll said.
"And we expect that at the end of one or two years from today, we will know that in a moment of conflict, we will be able to activate a supply chain that is robust enough and deep enough that we could activate to manufacture however many drones we would need."
Driscoll said he fundamentally wanted to change how the Army viewed drones — more like expendable ammunition rather than an "exquisite" piece of equipment.
‘Drones are the future of warfare’
The Pentagon is trying to overcome a mixed track record on acquiring drones. In 2023, Pentagon leaders announced the Replicator initiative, a department-wide effort to acquire and field thousands of autonomous drones by August 2025. However, it has not provided an update on the current status of the programme.
In July, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo in which he said he was "rescinding restrictive policies" that had impacted drone production.
Reuters has reported that the Pentagon's DOGE unit is leading efforts to overhaul the US military drone programme, including acquiring tens of thousands of cheap drones in the coming months.
US lawmakers have introduced legislation that would direct the Pentagon to create a facility in Texas that could build up to 1 million drones a year.
But Driscoll said his aim was to spread funding and not rely on a single production facility.
Instead of partnering with larger defence companies, he said the Army wanted to work with companies that were producing drones that could have commercial applications as well.
"We want to partner with other drone manufacturers who are using them for Amazon deliveries and all the different use cases," he said.
Chinese imports account for the vast majority of US commercial drone sales. More than half come from DJI, the world's largest drone manufacturer.
Driscoll said he was confident there was enough funding for the increased drone needs and the Army has already been moving to divest from some older weapons systems.
Funding decisions often require buy-in from lawmakers, who are often hesitant to cut weapons programmes benefiting their own districts.
"Drones are the future of warfare, and we've got to invest in both the offensive and defensive capabilities against them," Driscoll said.
