What Trump’s order on ‘unleashing American drone dominance’ means for the U.S. military
DefenseScoop asked national security experts to weigh in on the directive.
By
Brandi Vincent
July 8, 2025
While the Trump administration’s recently-issued executive order on “Unleashing American Drone Dominance” places a sharp focus on civilian use of unmanned aircraft, the new policy also includes multiple provisions that could have implications for Pentagon and military personnel.
“The Department of Defense must be able to procure, integrate, and train using low-cost, high-performing drones manufactured in the United States,” President Donald Trump wrote in the directive.
This new EO comes at a time when autonomous systems are increasingly proving to be game-changing on contemporary battlefields. Yet despite major investments, all of America’s military services are confronting serious challenges in adopting and deploying different-sized and affordable drones for widespread use.
DefenseScoop asked former defense officials and national security experts to share their analyses regarding the order, in separate conversations following its release last month.
https://defensescoop.com/2025/07/08/trump-executive-order-unleashing-american-drone-dominance-military-implications/