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.