Hegseth orders major drone production surge to counter growing threats

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered the military to increase its production of small drones to meet the growing threats emerging worldwide.

Hegseth released a memorandum outlining the policy on Thursday. In it, he said the policy goes “above and beyond” President Donald Trump‘s related executive order, which he signed on June 6.

“Drones are the biggest battlefield innovation in a generation, accounting for most of this year’s casualties in Ukraine,” the secretary wrote. “Our adversaries collectively produce millions of cheap drones each year. While global military drone production skyrocketed over the last three years, the previous administration deployed red tape.”

The military’s efforts will have three primary components: bolstering United States drone manufacturing, powering technological advancements in drones, and training with them to simulate what

Continue reading