Military drones are a progressive issue for troops and bases around the world, and the primary method for dealing with them usually involves collateral damage.

Hegseth announced the directive in a flashy video, equipped with a drone delivering him the memo, posted to X, formerly Twitter.

Israel and Ukraine have used drones against their adversaries in audacious ways that have helped the Pentagon see the need for new technology.

The memo directs the military services to create active duty formations by September, built for the sole purpose of scaling the use of drones across DOD.

Remote pilots and crews operating drones in warfare would become eligible for combat-related services through the Department of Veterans Affairs under a measure in the Senate version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act.

The micro-drone appears to be roughly the size of a human fingernail and features tiny, leaf-like wings and thin, wiry legs.

On June 1, using hundreds of short-range one-way attack drones smuggled deep into Russian territory, Ukraine was able to significantly damage or destroy at least 11 Russian strategic bombers as part of its Operation Spider’s Web.

The early attempt at drones in World War II saw the Army Air Forces convert B-17 bombers into remote-controlled flying bombs.

The Department of National Defence is looking at the possibility of complementing its incoming F-35 fleet with uncrewed combat aircraft.

Major General Thomas M. Suelzer with the Texas National Guard said a remotely piloted aircraft, or drone, was launched out of Houston Sunday to help with rescue and recovery. The MQ-9 Reaper is operated out of Houston and provides reconnaissance to the search and rescue teams.