A bipartisan group of lawmakers is pushing the Army to explain why it is shuttering a specialized drone battalion less than a year after establishing it, a move that comes as conflicts across the world have become increasingly defined by unmanned aerial systems and electronic warfare.
The 600-member “Unmanned Assault Battalion,” created as part of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, was charged with learning tactics and skills from Ukraine’s more-than four-year fight against Russia and applying them to the U.S. military. In a letter, legislators expressed concern that eliminating the battalion was another sign of the Defense Department’s “uneven and inconsistent” support to Europe and Ukraine, and they questioned how the U.S. would continue to learn drone warfare from the Ukraine theater.
“We have deep concerns that eliminating this specialized drone unit will limit our ability to learn from allies, particularly the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and hinder our efforts to modernize drone warfare at the speed necessary to compete on the modern battlefield,” Sens. Jeanne, Shahee, Thom Tillis, Angus King and Rep. Michael Turner, said in the Sept. 1 letter, provided by Sen. Shaheen’s office.
“This specialized unit was a prudent response in a moment when the character of warfare is changing faster than a conventional formation’s ability to adapt,” the lawmakers said after asking if the decision to close the unit was made by the Army or based on guidance from Defense Department leadership. They asked for an explanation by Sept. 21.
The unit is expected to return to its airborne infantry mission after participating in the multinational Exercise Saber Junction this month.
In the letter, addressed to Acting Army Chief of Staff. Gen. Christopher LaNeve and outgoing Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, legislators said they understood the move to be a result of Gen. LaNeve’s “back to basics” message, where he ordered the force to focus on its primary combat mission.
The Army has seen a massive leadership shakeup as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired over a dozen top leaders. Former Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Randy George, who championed drone innovation through his Transformation in Contact initiative, was ousted at Hegseth’s behest. He has not yet nominated a successor.
Driscoll, who supported modernization measures and acquisition reform, resigned on short notice this week amid friction with Hegseth. His resignation further thins the Army’s top ranks as the country remains locked into a war with Iran that has now stretched over six months amid missile stockpile shortages and extended deployments.
Eve Sampson is a reporter and former Army officer. She has covered conflict across the world, writing for The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Associated Press.