# Army has 10,000 drones. It needs trained operators.

> The US Army has fielded enough small drones to equip every squad, but lacks the trained pilots to use them effectively across the force.
- Title: Army has 10,000 drones. It needs trained operators. | Shortify
- Summary: The US Army has fielded enough small drones to equip every squad, but lacks the trained pilots to use them effectively across the force. The US Army has…
- Keywords: us army, drone dominance, unmanned aerial systems, military training, col. gregory merkl, fort rucker, business, technology, Army, 000, drones, needs
- Source: Business Insider — https://businessinsider.com/us-army-has-drones-now-it-needs-trained-operators-2026-9
- Author: Chris Panella
- Published: 2026-09-19T11:46:01.285+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: us army, drone dominance, unmanned aerial systems, military training, col. gregory merkl, fort rucker, business, technology
## Army deploys 10,000 drones
The US Army has fielded ten thousand drones after the first phase of the Drone Dominance program, according to Col. Gregory Merkl, the director of drone dominance for the Army.

> We fielded 10,000 drones
## Another 30,000 drones coming
The Army is currently receiving another thirty thousand drones, enough to distribute them down to every squad level across all formations.

> We're in the process of receiving another 30,000 drones currently
## Training lags behind equipment
While the Army has enough drones for every squad, it still lacks qualified pilots at that level. Currently, drone capability exists in every platoon but not uniformly at squad level.

> Where we still have some work to do, candidly, is getting everybody trained at the appropriate level
## Drone Dominance invests one billion
The Drone Dominance program is an iterative development effort investing one billion dollars to purchase at least two hundred thousand drones through twenty twenty-seven.
## Training starts in basic training
The Army is exposing soldiers to drones starting in basic training, then transitioning them to tactics in different scenarios. Specialized courses like the Unmanned Advanced Lethality Course provide advanced instruction.
## Lessons from Ukraine shape training
The Army prioritizes soldier feedback and lessons from the war in Ukraine and US soldiers trained with Ukrainians. The phased-out one seventy-third Airborne Brigade's experimental drone unit was always meant to be temporary.
## Key takeaway

The US Army has deployed ten thousand drones and is receiving thirty thousand more, but must now train soldiers to operate them at squad level.