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Defense Innovation Board Calls For Fielding More Uncrewed Systems ‘Now’
The Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Board (DIB) is calling for the U.S. to act with greater urgency to field uncrewed systems to make up ground lost to competitors.
“Waiting until we are confronted with footage of American service members falling victim to enemy first-person view drones is not an option. We must act now with the urgency this challenge demands,” the advisory group said in a report released Jan. 13.
The DIB bemoaned that the U.S., once a leader in developing and fielding uncrewed systems, has fallen behind others in both making and using such equipment.
Among the issues the panel said the U.S. needs to address is a lack of scale of uncrewed systems it is fielding and a lack of pace in introducing systems, in part because the military loses time sorting out what it really needs. “We cannot afford the time to find perfect answers for each question. We also cannot afford to rely on the traditional procurement mechanisms to deliver in relevant timeframes. We must get unmanned systems in the hands of the warfighters in sufficient quantities to matter now,” the DIB said.
The group urged the Defense Department also to embrace more of a trial-and-error approach, giving troops uncrewed systems for experimentation. “Let them stress test and provide feedback throughout the technology development and acquisition process,” the panel argued.
The Pentagon also needs to rethink how it funds such programs since technology development cycles are far faster than U.S. government budget planning processes. It called for the Pentagon and Congress to work on more flexible funding mechanisms for such endeavors.
It also urged the Defense Department to establish a joint small uncrewed system management office, harking back to the early days of uncrewed aircraft systems when the Pentagon had a joint program office to foster such efforts.
The DIB also warned of supply chain issues that could disrupt U.S. efforts around uncrewed systems, including reliance on critical minerals often controlled by China. “The vulnerability of U.S. manufacturers to supply chain disruptions, sanctions and resource shortages exemplified by sanctions levied on many major drone manufacturers by China in December 2024 highlights the urgent need for action,” the DIB said.