The head of the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, has ordered the acceleration of the production and deployment of drones in an attempt to outpace Russia and China, Fox News reported.
The Secretary of Defense has eliminated a number of bureaucratic complications and lifted restrictions that he says hinder innovation.
“The lethality of drones will no longer be limited by the rules that we have imposed on ourselves“, says one of the documents available to the television.
For the first time, officers with the rank of colonel and captain will be able to independently purchase and test drones, including those created using 3D printing. In addition, they will be able to quickly and without unnecessary checks start using drones.
The Pentagon admits that “America's adversaries have a lead in the field of small unmanned aerial systems“, but Hegseth expects the United States to become a leader by the end of 2027. As Fox News notes, the Ukrainian conflict has shown the world that the use of drones has changed the nature of warfare.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that the US armed forces are actively studying the experience of using drones during the hostilities in Ukraine.