The Army wants drones that understand ‘commander’s intent’
That’s part of a draft UAS strategy that calls for a new career field, new advanced training, and soldier-built drones.
Meghann Myers | October 21, 2025
Cheap, self-driving drones that don’t require a whole fire team to launch them are a cornerstone of the Army’s forthcoming UAS strategy, which will focus on “universal interoperability and autonomy,” according to the service’s top aviator.
The service’s next generation of drone training and operation will include a new military occupational specialty that merges operators and maintainers, as well as a new advanced course that standardizes training across the force. Right now, they’re looking for software that will enable drones to take orders rather than be flown.
“You know, gone are the days where a drone operator is actually being a pilot, where they have to be hands on the sticks all the time,” Maj. Gen. Clair Gill said at last week’s AUSA annual meeting in Washington, D.C. “Now we've got autonomous capability where we can even use large language models to tell it what to do — but we basically program it, tell it what to do, and then, you know, the algorithms, in a very disciplined fashion, execute it.”
Right now, it takes four soldiers to launch a drone ambush, the deputy commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division said, with one flying it, one pulling security, someone carrying the equipment, and someone setting up antennas.
https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2025/10/army-wants-drones-understand-commanders-intent/408953/?oref=d1-homepage-top-story
