Its guidance for uniform, data-backed testing and an acknowledgment of privacy protections related to UAS employment in the U.S. comes amid keen public interest over counter-drone systems,…
Screenshot of a DOD video of Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Emil Michael and Defense Innovation Unit Director Travis Metz observing a drone dominance demonstration at Fort Benning, Ga., March 2, 2026. (DoW video by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Dennis Buzard)
U.S. Marines with 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, prepare C4 for detonation during a first-person view small unmanned aircraft system simulated sectored, simultaneous attack at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Oct. 31, 2025. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Mary R. Jenni)
U.S. Soldiers assigned to 6th Squadron, 8th Calvary Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division deploy a smoke screen during Spartan Focus at Fort Stewart, Georgia, Feb.13, 2026. Dogface Soldiers employ drones to identify enemy movements, extend reconnaissance and enhance obscuration efforts through coordinated smoke screens. (U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Jaimee Perez)
Fragments of Shahed drones are found at the sites of Russian strikes in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on September 19, 2025 (Photo by Viacheslav Madiievskyi/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images).
Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drones seen positioned on the tarmac at a base in the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) operating area, Nov. 23, 2025. The LUCAS platforms are part of a one-way attack drone squadron CENTCOM recently deployed to the Middle East to strengthen regional security and deterrence. (Courtesy Photo)
An unmanned aerial system hovers in the airspace above Fort McNair, Washington, D.C., during a Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF) 401 counter-UAS (c-UAS) exercise Nov. 17-21, 2025. The exercise prepared military personnel to detect, identify, and neutralize such as those seen hovering. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Wesley Domalewski)
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Lilly Sharma, a small unmanned aircraft system operator, with 12th Littoral Combat Team, 12th Marine Littoral Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, operates a Skydio X2D during a small unmanned aerial systems training (sUAS) on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Nov. 6, 2025. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Robert Blanks)
While the military boosts already-established UAS roles and inter-service job transfers, multiple services have begun to put drones into the hands or on the minds of its…
A soldier assigned to 1st Cavalry Division uses a drone on the Hunter/Killer lane during the U.S. Army Best Drone Warfighter Competition on Feb. 18, 2026, in Huntsville, Alabama. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Michelle Lessard-Terry)
