The US Army is getting enough drones, official says. Now, it needs to train enough operators.
The service is buying tens of thousands of drones and delivering them to troops. The next challenge is ensuring they know how to use them.
The US Army has acquired a substantial number of drones and is now focused on training enough operators to handle them effectively, according to an official. The official, Colonel Gregory Merkl, stated that the Army has fielded 10,000 drones after the first phase of its Drone Dominance program and is expecting to receive another 30,000 drones.
This should be sufficient to equip every squad within the Army. However, despite the availability of drones, there is still a gap in the number of trained pilots, particularly at the squad level. The Army plans to deploy thousands of low-cost, one-way attack drones by the next fiscal year. The initiative, called Drone Dominance, has a budget of $1 billion and aims to purchase at least 200,000 drones through 2027.
The Army is also integrating lessons on drone warfare and soldier feedback into its training programs. The Army has noted that soldiers have diverse backgrounds with skills relevant to drone warfare, including hobby pilots and video game enthusiasts. The Army's approach to training includes specialized courses, such as the Unmanned Advanced Lethality Course, and exposure to drones from the beginning of basic training.
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