Marine Corps Struggling to Fill Drone Gap
7/7/2025
By Josh Luckenbaugh
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Col. Sean Hoewing, director of the Aviation Combat Element in the Marine Corps’ Capabilities Development Directorate, didn’t mince words when evaluating the service’s drone fleet at a recent conference.
“We are way behind … and so now it’s time to do some catch-up,” he said.
The Marine Corps has struggled to keep up with the rapid evolution of unmanned aerial systems technology, and the service is placing a renewed emphasis on developing and fielding drones that could prove critical in a future fight.
From the conflicts in Ukraine and Israel to the geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific, “we are in the midst of a revolution of military affairs, which is something that happens maybe once in a generation,” said Maj. Gen. Farrell Sullivan, director of the Capabilities Development Directorate.
“Technology is advancing at a blistering pace, and our organizations and processes that used to deal with a much slower pace can no longer stay relevant in the timeframes we need to to give Marines and sailors and the Joint Force the capabilities they need to fight and win and to survive on the modern battlefield,” Sullivan said during a talk at the Modern Day Marine conference in April.
https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2025/7/7/marine-corps-struggling-to-fill-drone-gap
