Acting US Army Chief of Staff Gen. Christopher LaNeve speaks at a Pentagon awards ceremony in June 2026. LaNeve is reportedly planning to scrap a specialized 600-person drone unit set up earlier this year, returning them to regular air combat training. (US Army/Laura Buchta)

Who Needs Drones? The US Army Is Going ‘Back to Basics’

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The acting US Army chief of staff stressed the need to integrate “space, cyber, electronic warfare, and artificial intelligence”—but is planning to eliminate the Army’s first dedicated drone unit. 

Acting US Army Chief of Staff General Christopher LaNeve, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s pick to lead the United States Army, plans to disband the US Army’s new “Unmanned Assault Battalion” and seek a return to the “basics.”

The drone battalion, numbering about 600 soldiers, is part of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, based in Germany. It had been established in January and was tasked with studying and developing drone warfare, including drawing lessons from the ongoing war in Ukraine.

However, LaNeve has called for the battalion to “refocus” away from unmanned warfare and back to its core role as an airborne infantry battalion, The Wall Street Journal first reported this week.

The Unmanned Assault Battalion will still participate at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Germany, which will kick off later this month. However, at the conclusion of the event, the unit will return to its former role.

The Army’s New Leadership Is Setting Its Own Priorities

It is unclear why Gen. LaNeve is........

© The National Interest