**Bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers requested a briefing on the Army’s decision to eliminate the drone battalion of the 173rd Airborne Brigade**
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a senior member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, led Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), Senator Angus King (I-ME) and Congressman Mike Turner (R-OH-10) in requesting a formal briefing on the Army’s decision to order a unit based in Europe to stop their work specializing in drone warfare. In a letter to departing Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and acting Army Chief of Staff General Christopher LaNeve, the bipartisan group of lawmakers cited deep concerns about the elimination of the drone battalion of the 173rd Airborne Brigade.
The lawmakers wrote, in part: “We write to request a briefing to better understand your decision to eliminate the drone battalion of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. We are particularly keen to understand the data, analysis and process used to cancel this innovative unit established less than a year ago, and if this decision was based on Department of Defense leadership guidance or was an Army-internal decision.”
They continued: “We have deep concerns that eliminating this specialized drone unit will limit our ability to learn from allies, particularly the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and hinder our efforts to modernize drone warfare at the speed necessary to compete on the modern battlefield. 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. […] Both the Ukraine-Russia War and the ongoing conflict in Iran have demonstrated our need to make significant improvements in drone warfare—lessons learned from our Ukrainian allies who have proven their ability to innovate and compete in this space.”
The lawmakers went on: “The DOD’s commitment to Ukraine and European security has been uneven and inconsistent— the reoccurring efforts to cut European force posture, the delayed spend plan of appropriated funds for aid to Ukraine, and the transfer of U.S. Army Europe funding to reimburse the Department of Homeland Security. Within this context, we are concerned that the elimination of the Unmanned Assault Battalion is yet another worrying signal of fledgling resolve in the European theater or of using the resources available out of Ukraine to the benefit of our own forces.”
They concluded: “We respectfully request the Army brief us on how it intends to continue learning lessons on drone warfare from Ukraine in the absence of the Unmanned Assault Battalion. We request this briefing to occur no later than September 21st, 2026.”
Click HERE to view the full letter text.