The U.S. Army reportedly plans to shed outdated equipment and supply each of its combat divisions with approximately 1,000 drones, in the service branch's largest overhaul since the end of the Cold War.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the plan was developed from battlefield lessons learned in Ukraine, where large numbers of small unmanned aircraft reshaped the nature of combat.
If the plan, known as the "Army Transformation Initiative," is implemented, the Army's 10 active-duty divisions would shift much of their focus to drones, using them for surveillance, moving supplies, and conducting attacks.
"We've got to learn how to use drones, how to fight with them, how to scale them, produce them, and employ them in our fights so we can see beyond line of sight," Col. Donald Neal, the commander of the U.S. 2nd Cavalry Regiment, told the Journal. "We've always had drones since I've been in the Army, but it has been very few."
In February, a brigade from the 10th Mountain Division fought against a mock opponent at the Hohenfels training range in Germany in an updated scenario reflecting the new Ukrainian combat tactics.
While the range was once used to prepare for a potential Soviet attack on Western Europe, the gray skies above it were reportedly abuzz with activity, as small drones were controlled from afar by servicemembers and defense contractors.
The Journal reported that the bitter cold of the winter day had caused ice to form on some of the drone's rotor blades and drained the batteries. Such a snafu had not occurred during previous training exercises in Hawaii and Louisiana, and soldiers scrambled to recharge the batteries while trying to keep the aircraft in motion.
Conventional warfare equipment has been used in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, but drones have significantly altered the battlefield dynamic, analysts said, because they are cheap, can swarm to overwhelm defense capabilities, and can transmit live video feeds.
"Land warfare has transitioned to drone warfare," Jack Keane, the retired general who served as vice chief of staff of the Army, told the Journal. "If you can be seen, you can be killed. A soldier carrying a rocket-propelled grenade, a tank, command and control facilities, artillery position can all be taken out by drones very rapidly."
The Army also plans to spend about $3 billion to develop better drone take-down systems for enemy aircraft and is looking to increase its electronic warfare capabilities.
Officials said the overhaul would cost $36 billion over five years, which the Army would pay for by retiring outdated weapons and other systems. The Journal reported that the plan will require congressional support.
The Army's initiative comes as the Department of Government Efficiency continues in its mission to enact across-the-board spending cuts throughout the federal bureaucracy.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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