Marines load a simulated warhead onto a drone during training at Camp Santiago, Puerto Rico, Nov. 19, 2025. The service launched a training program this month that aims to rapidly boost the number of Marine operators of commercial off-the-shelf attack drones. (Maurion Moore/U.S. Marine Corps)
The Marine Corps is adding six new piloting courses as the service prepares to field tens of thousands of commercial drones in the coming year.
The plan, announced Monday in a memo from the service, outlines a two-and-a-half-year framework to standardize drone training across the Corps.
Under the new framework, Marines of any job specialty can apply through their commands for one of the courses, which include basic drone operator, attack drone operator, attack drone leader, payload specialist, attack drone instructor and payload specialist instructor.
Units at Camp Pendleton, Calif., and Camp Lejeune, N.C., and on the Japanese island of Okinawa were selected as regional training hubs for the courses, with Quantico, Va., serving as the current central training site, according to the release.
In addition to the six courses, eight new drone-related certifications will be introduced, broadening qualification pathways for Marines with varying experience levels, the Corps said.
Marines who have completed previous service drone training may be granted corresponding certifications under the new system, the memo said.
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. James Ciccone, a drone operator with the 12th Littoral Combat Team, builds drones during a competition Dec. 8, 2025, at Camp Schwab in Okinawa, Japan. The service announced a new drone fighting doctrine Monday, introducing six drone courses and eight certifications that will be available to all Marines. (Joaquin Carlos Dela Torre/U.S. Marine Corps)
First-person view drones will be fielded to all infantry, reconnaissance and littoral combat teams across the Corps as early as May, according to a separate statement Tuesday.
The initiatives align with the Defense Department’s broader effort to develop and field approximately $1 billion in autonomous and remotely operated systems across the services, the Marine Corps said.
Full operational capability for the Corps’ drone program is expected by 2028, with initial fielding slated to begin in March.
The new program builds on efforts already underway by the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, which has begun delivering Neros Archer attack drones to select units.
The Corps plans to maintain and expand its use of existing platforms as part of a diverse and adaptable drone portfolio, according to the message issued Monday.
