Lawmakers ask Army to explain why it told a military unit to stop specializing in drone warfare

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers is pressing the Army to explain why it ordered the 173rd Airborne Brigade, a 600-soldier unit in Europe specializing in drone warfare, to stop that mission and refocus on airborne infantry. In a letter sent Tuesday to departing Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and acting Chief of Staff Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the lawmakers expressed concerns that eliminating the unit, established in November, would hinder learning from allies like Ukraine and slow modernization of drone warfare. The letter was signed by Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, independent Sen. Angus King, and Republican Rep. Mike Turner.

Getting your Trinity Audio //trinityaudio.ai player ready... By KONSTANTIN TOROPIN and BEN FINLEY WASHINGTON AP — A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers is pressing the Army to explain why it told a unit based in Europe to stop specializing in drone warfare https://apnews.com/article/drones-army-ukraine-iran-war-hegseth-b4d70633a8832d779f3d4002b30298e3 , an order that comes as the world’s battlefields rapidly evolve https://apnews.com/article/war-russia-ukraine-drones-innovation-interceptor-shahed-e9de7db6437d3cbb428a6bacac326fb3 and military tactics increasingly rely on uncrewed systems to fight. The 173rd Airborne Brigade was building its own drones and practicing the kind of warfare that Ukraine has pioneered https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-interceptors-drones-nato-c7b57962e573b344490b07b2cfead856 against Russia and that Iran has fought https://apnews.com/article/iran-war-shahed-drones-defense-patriot-missiles-5691db35af267d9530fca3646b03cef8 against the U.S. — warfare that has killed and wounded https://apnews.com/article/slain-soldiers-iran-drone-strike-kuwait-7b65d5b6c3c3097e2a43972f91ae4cbf American troops. The brigade of 600 soldiers was set up in November to be deployed anywhere that drones were needed. “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,” the lawmakers said in a letter shared with The Associated Press. It requests a briefing from the Army to explain its decision and was sent Tuesday to departing Army Secretary Dan Driscoll https://apnews.com/article/driscoll-departure-army-secretary-hegseth-4853c46840a522911da5a510b01966d2 and Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the Army’s acting chief of staff. It was signed by Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, independent Sen. Angus King of Maine and Republican Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio. “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 say. They said they were particularly keen to understand the data, analysis and process behind the change after less than a year of the drone unit being active. They also want to know if the decision was based on guidance from Pentagon leadership or made internally by the Army. LaNeve, who is filling in as the Army’s top uniformed officer, recently ordered the battalion to refocus on its core mission of being an airborne infantry unit. The move followed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s sudden ousting https://apnews.com/article/pentagon-hegseth-army-chief-iran-war-c6707d1d3a95ea5f679e0f9a5c5012e7 of the Army’s prior chief of staff, Gen. Randy George. Integrating drones into the Army’s tactics was a major focus for George. Last year, he and Driscoll had rolled out what they called the Army Transformation Initiative https://api.army.mil/e2/c/downloads/2025/05/01/c4c9539c/letter-to-the-force-army-transformation-initiative.pdf , which pushed to add “modernized unmanned aircraft systems into formations.” George, who became Army chief of staff under President Joe Biden, regularly spoke about the need to accelerate development of new drone systems and get them in the hands of regular soldiers, not just specialized units. Driscoll supported such efforts and focused on cutting the red tape for military contractors to quickly develop more drones. After George was ousted by Hegseth without explanation in April, he was replaced by LaNeve. This week, Driscoll submitted his own resignation and later said on social media that Wednesday would be his final full day on the job. A reason for his departure was not publicly revealed, but he was an ally of George, and his tensions with Hegseth have been widely reported. “We are supportive of the transformative initiatives the Army has taken under Secretary Driscoll’s leadership in this area and would like to see that momentum maintained even as uniformed leadership changes,” the lawmakers wrote. Toropin reported from Nuremberg, Germany.