Inside America’s Fight for Drone Dominance

The U.S. military needs more drones, and it needs to build them without Chinese parts. Today, Defense Innovation Unit Deputy Director Travis Metz joins School of War to discuss how America can build drones quickly, cheaply, and on U.S. soil; what America can learn from Ukraine’s drone war; and the Pentagon’s new billion-dollar effort to upgrade its aging military technology.

2:23 - Why America Is Behind on Drones

4:32 - The Drone Dominance Program

6:51 - Breaking Dependence on China

10:23 - The Different Types of Drones

13:34 - Ukraine’s Mid-Range Strike Revolution

16:00 - Cheap Drones at Long Range

18:47 - AI, Autonomy, and Electronic Warfare

21:47 - How Drone Dominance Works

24:33 - Building an American Drone Industry

33:55 - Lessons From Fort Benning

39:19 - Cheap and Expendable Drones

42:01 - Testing Drones for Different Missions

50:14 - The Next Phase of Drone Dominance

55:09 - How Many Drones Does America Need?

1:02:49 - Recreating Ukraine’s Innovation Cycle

This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com.

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