WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of War is moving to rapidly arm U.S. forces with vast numbers of weaponized drones, unveiling a sweeping acquisition push that officials say will compress years of development into months and redefine how American combat power is built.
The department announced that 25 companies have been invited to compete in Phase I of the Drone Dominance Program, an effort aimed at fielding low-cost, unmanned, one-way attack drones at scale. The initiative reflects a central priority of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who ordered a fast-track acquisition strategy shortly after taking office to counter rapidly evolving battlefield threats.
The first phase of the competition, known as “the Gauntlet,” will begin February 18 at Fort Benning, where military operators will fly and evaluate competing systems under operational conditions. The department said the evaluation will conclude in early March, followed by roughly $150 million in prototype delivery orders, with production and deliveries beginning soon afterward and continuing over five months.
Officials said the Drone Dominance Program sends an unambiguous signal to industry: speed, scale, and battlefield effectiveness will outweigh traditional procurement timelines and bureaucracy. Across four phases, the department plans to invest $1.1 billion, driving down unit costs while increasing production volumes and combat capability. By 2027, the department expects to field hundreds of thousands of one-way attack drones ready for operational use.
The program is sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of War and executed by the Defense Innovation Unit, the Test Resource Management Center, and the Naval Surface Warfare Center’s Crane Division. Vendors invited to Phase I range from established defense firms to emerging drone and artificial intelligence companies, reflecting the department’s push to widen the industrial base.
The drone announcement came as senior defense officials underscored broader efforts to modernize U.S. military posture in the Indo-Pacific. In a separate readout, the department said Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby concluded visits to the Republic of Korea and Japan, where he met with top defense and national security leaders to advance the administration’s “peace through strength” agenda.
In Seoul, Colby discussed alliance modernization and South Korea’s growing role in conventional deterrence against North Korea, as well as burden sharing and the transition of wartime operational control. In Tokyo, talks focused on strengthening the U.S.-Japan alliance and accelerating Japan’s efforts to enhance its defense capabilities to bolster regional deterrence.
Together, the initiatives highlight a defense strategy centered on speed, mass, and allied coordination — pairing a rapid-fire drone buildup with intensified engagement across key alliances as the department races to adapt to a fast-changing global security environment.
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