New Drone Unit to Be Phased Out as Hegseth’s Army Pick Makes His Mark

In January, the U.S. Army established a new battalion in Europe to focus on drone warfare and ground robots. This came in response to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, with the goal of learning from that experience and developing advanced military systems and tactics. However, the highly anticipated drone assault battalion, a key part of this initiative, is now being phased out.

The Army has decided to phase out this unit after its participation in a major exercise in Germany in August and September, where it will share its findings to guide future experimentation. It will transition from its drone assault role to becoming an airborne infantry battalion with a focus on core warfighting tasks. This decision, which has drawn criticism from military experts, is part of a broader "back-to-basics" approach ordered by Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the acting chief of staff of the Army.

LaNeve, who is close to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has been implementing a series of changes beyond drones, including moving a "Multi-Domain Task Force" from Europe to South Korea and reassigned the III Armored Corps to the Western Hemisphere Command.