Lawmakers ask Army to explain decision to phase out drone unit

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is asking Army officials to explain their decision to phase out a drone battalion within the 173rd Airborne Brigade that was created to adapt drone warfare lessons from modern battlefields like Ukraine.

The Army established the Unmanned Assault Battalion in January and tasked about 600 soldiers with developing new concepts for fighting with drones. Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the Army’s acting chief of staff, recently ordered the brigade to refocus on being an airborne infantry unit.

The lawmakers said they had “deep concerns” that refocusing the battalion will limit the Army’s ability to learn from Ukraine and other allies as U.S. service members face attacks from Iranian drones in the Middle East.

“This specialized unit was a prudent response in a moment when the character of warfare is changing faster than a conventional formation’s ability to adapt,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter sent Tuesday to LaNeve and departing Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.

The letter is signed by Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, independent Sen. Angus King of Maine and Republican Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio.

They are requesting a briefing from the Army by Sept. 21, saying they are “particularly keen” to understand the data, analysis and process used to cancel the unit less than a year after its establishment.

They also want to know whether the move was an internal Army decision or based on guidance from Pentagon leadership.

The outreach to the Army comes amid lawmaker concerns about the resignation of Driscoll, a vocal proponent of Army modernization who announced Tuesday that his last full day on the job would be Wednesday.

Driscoll told lawmakers this year that the Army was working to incorporate battlefield technologies and tactics pioneered by Ukraine. He pursued those efforts in close partnership with the Army’s former chief of staff, Gen. Randy George, who was ousted in April.

“We are supportive of the transformative initiatives the Army has taken under Secretary Driscoll’s leadership in this area and would like to see that momentum maintained even as uniformed leadership changes,” lawmakers wrote in their letter.

They asked the Army to explain how it intends to continue learning lessons from Ukraine in the absence of the battalion.

The lawmakers said they understood that the 173rd was an infantry unit at its core, but they noted that LaNeve’s “back to basics” message to the force last month had also emphasized the need for soldiers to “learn, innovate and adapt faster.”

“Eliminating this battalion … runs counter to that,” the lawmakers wrote. “It hurts our ability to acquire the critical knowledge and skills that can be gained from working with and learning from Ukrainian soldiers.”

The unit is expected to participate in an exercise in Germany in September and report its findings before being phased out. The 173rd Airborne Brigade, a rapid reaction force, is headquartered in Vicenza, Italy.