Bill proposes creation of drone corps as distinct branch of the US Army

Ukraine is once again influencing the way militaries around the world prepare for conflict, this time in providing an example the US looks ready to follow by establishing a drone corps as a distinct branch of the Army.

After Kyiv’s creation of a separate division within Ukraine’s military dedicated to UAV activity in February, officials in the US are now considering establishing a drone corps as a branch of the Army in a similar fashion. The initiative is spelled out as part of the 2025 defense authorization bill, which specifies the general organization and specific functions of the proposed unit. 

Initially reported by Defense One, the initiative is described as seeking to “professionalize the field and put it on par with the service’s other disciplines.”

According to text in the authorization bill, an American drone corps would oversee military activities developing and deploying small craft, as well as use of counter-UAV systems. 

The step envisaged by US Army planners in following Ukraine’s lead is also being carefully considered by allies across Europe. So, too, are military leaders elsewhere in the world taking note of the quasi-revolutionary manner the war drones have transformed how war is being waged through their use by Ukraine and Russian forces.

The bill calls for a new US drone corps to “serve as a command center for Army operations involving the aircraft and systems… (and) carry out activities to integrate such aircraft and systems with Army forces that have not traditionally used such aircraft and systems; (and) conduct research, development, testing, and evaluation of such aircraft and systems.”

It would also “provide personnel with specialized training in such aircraft and systems; carry out programs to attract and retain personnel with expertise relevant to such aircraft and systems; develop strategies and capabilities to counter the unmanned aircraft and unmanned aircraft systems of adversary forces; and perform such other functions relating to unmanned aircraft and unmanned aircraft systems as the Secretary determines appropriate.” 

In addition to formally recognizing the manner drones have and will continue transforming how the US Army plans for and pursues conflict in the wake of Ukraine’s deployment, the bill’s proposal to establish a distinct UAV branch also represents a major potential change in the way the nation has historically organized its defense divisions.

“The United States military has traditionally categorized its forces based on operational domains — land, air, sea and, most recently, space — with the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Space Force, respectively,” explained Lt. Col. Robert Solano in an editorial in Breaking Defense, just days after Ukraine’s establishment of a drone branch. “The first step would be to establish an Uncrewed Systems Branch that stands alongside the traditional Combat Arms branches like Infantry, Armor, and Aviation. This new drone corps would accelerate the adoption of uncrewed technologies, advance the development of new strategies, and improve talent management.”