Army will shut down a unit in Europe focused on learning drone warfare

The U.S. Army has ordered a European-based unit specializing in drone warfare to cease its efforts and revert to traditional infantry duties, officials revealed on Thursday. The 173rd Airborne Brigade, stationed in Italy and Germany, had been experimenting with and deploying drones since last November, following Ukraine's lead in utilizing such technology during its prolonged conflict with Russia.

Last November, 600 soldiers were consolidated into a battalion dedicated solely to drone warfare, prepared to deploy globally whenever needed. General Christopher LaNeve, the Army's acting chief of staff, has directed the battalion to refocus on its primary mission of being an airborne infantry unit, according to two U.S. officials speaking anonymously about internal deliberations.

This decision coincides with a wider restructuring under LaNeve, who assumed his top role as Army leader since Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's sudden dismissal of Gen. Randy George in April. The move comes despite the ongoing Iran war, which has underscored the importance of learning from Ukraine's drone warfare tactics. Iranian drones have targeted U.S. ships and bases, resulting in the loss of American lives, the downing of an Army helicopter, and the depletion of advanced countermeasures.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had previously stated in March that Ukrainian officials were assisting five Middle Eastern and Gulf nations in countering Iranian drone attacks, alongside the U.S. and European countries that had sought such help. The 173rd Airborne Brigade had been engaged in drone warfare even before November last year, with soldiers designing and constructing their own attack drones in a "first-person view (FPV) drone lab" in Caserma Del Din, Italy, since May 2025.