Pentagon removes all bureaucratic hurdles for drone production

Pete Hegseth, the Pentagon chief, announced that all restrictions on the production of unmanned aerial vehicles have been lifted.

Hegseth’s memorandum comes in response to US President Donald Trump’s June 2025 presidential decree supporting the American drone industry.

In a video accompanying the memorandum, Hegseth said, “While our enemies are producing millions of cheap drones, the global production of military-purpose drones has rapidly increased in the last three years. Therefore, the US must keep pace with and surpass the capabilities of its enemies.”

With his announcement, Hegseth set three goals. First, the Pentagon aims to strengthen the emerging US drone production base by approving military purchases of necessary American-made products.

The second goal is to rapidly advance US combat capabilities to the highest standards of quality, equipping combat units with low-cost drones produced by leading engineers and artificial intelligence experts.

Finally, Hegseth stated his commitment to training US soldiers for the way they are expected to fight. The Pentagon plans to ensure that relevant drone training, including simulations of modern drone warfare, is incorporated into all combat training.

As with any new technology, the most significant issue in lifting these restrictions and implementing new training programs is funding. Hegseth’s memorandum addressed this, stating that the investment methods outlined in Trump’s presidential decree are being examined.

Reiterating its commitment to a more active stance on defense, the memorandum concluded with the statement that “the department is taking off its bureaucratic gloves.”