WASHINGTON — After directing one of its drone-focused units to return to a conventional infantry structure, the Army’s chief technology officer, Alex Miller, said the service remains committed to developing unmanned aircraft and autonomous systems.
“Let me be clear: We are not slowing our work on drones or autonomous systems, and we are not walking away from them,” Miller told reporters when asked about the battalion’s transition. “I do not want anyone to interpret this as a reduction in importance.”
The Europe-based 3rd Battalion of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, was designated an “unmanned systems battalion” in January. The Army said the initiative was intended to strengthen the unit’s expertise in drone and autonomous warfare by applying lessons learned from the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
During the past several months, soldiers in the battalion participated in multiple exercises and met with Ukrainian drone operators on NATO territory. The Wall Street Journal first reported that the specialized unit would be discontinued.
In August, Acting Army Chief of Staff Gen. Christopher LaNeve directed the unit to return to its traditional infantry role after it completed two exercises in Germany. The final exercise concluded that month, an Army official told Breaking Defense.
The decision drew criticism from lawmakers, who asked the acting chief and then-Army Secretary Dan Driscoll in a letter to “better understand” the leadership’s decision “to eliminate the drone battalion of the 173rd Airborne Brigade.”
The lawmakers warned that eliminating the specialized unit could restrict the Army’s ability to learn from allies, particularly the Ukrainian Armed Forces, while slowing efforts to modernize drone warfare for the modern battlefield. They said the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran demonstrated the need for significant advances in unmanned capabilities and highlighted the innovation demonstrated by Ukrainian forces.
Miller said some of the criticism probably resulted from the Army failing to communicate the full rationale quickly enough. He emphasized that the service never intended to establish a permanent, centralized drone unit.
“They were never designated to become a permanent centralized drone unit,” Miller said. “In fact, we opposed creating something like a drone corps from the outset because concentrating this expertise in one place could limit our ability to scale the lessons learned and share them across the rest of the Army.”
Miller also rejected claims that the Army had disbanded a drone unit. The battalion in the 173rd Brigade was always intended to remain a conventional infantry unit, with a temporary focus on drones and autonomy for six or seven months before assuming its full infantry role. Its personnel were expected to learn relevant lessons and pass them on throughout the Army.
“We are pushing back against the narrative that we created something new, killed it, and sacrificed it to technology,” Miller said. “That is simply not true.”