Pentagon’s new DOGE drone plan seeks to move faster, smarter

(NewsNation) — The Pentagon’s Department of Government Efficiency, the unit leading recent defense modernization efforts, is now taking charge of overhauling the U.S. Army’s drone plan, Reuters first reported.

The move follows the stalled Replicator Initiative, a department-wide effort to acquire and field thousands of autonomous drones by August of this year. So far, the Department of Defense has not released an update on that program’s progress.

In September, a Pentagon official said Replicator capabilities were being “transitioned to the appropriate end state users,” according to DefenseScoop.

What’s new with DOGE’s plan?

The plan is meant to be faster because the previous version moved too slowly, according to Pentagon officials.

The Replicator Initiative was meant to field thousands of autonomous low-cost drones by late 2025.
Now DOGE is centralizing the project, aiming to purchase approximately 30,000 U.S.-made drones over the next few months to catch up with China, Russia and Ukraine.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the department has the responsibility to equip troops with the best possible tools to do the job.

“Our job in the Pentagon is to work tirelessly to get you what you need,” Hegseth said.

Analysts warn US drone tech is falling behind

Experts have said both China and Russia are producing drones at a massive scale, while Ukraine is testing new battlefield tactics daily.

If DOGE’s new plan lags, analysts warn, the U.S. risks losing its technological edge.

“You just can’t be firing hundreds or even thousands of million-dollar or half-a-million-dollar missiles at these drones that generally cost about $50,000 each,” said Robert Tollast, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute. “The challenge is to get the technologies — cheap intercepted drones — get the costs down, perhaps lasers. We have the technology, we just haven’t scaled it up yet.”

Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. John Teichert told “Morning in America” Monday that while the Pentagon has issued several contracts to accelerate drone development, a clear plan is needed for integrating, training and deploying those systems in real-world operations.

Pentagon officials said the first procurement figures will be released later this month, providing the first real test of whether DOGE can move faster than its predecessor.

DOGE, originally spearheaded by billionaire Elon Musk, has cut billions of dollars from government programs, including many at the Pentagon, since Trump began his second term. The drone effort, a new task for the unit, is partly aimed at addressing the challenges of sourcing U.S.-made drone platforms. Most U.S.-made drones rely on components made in China.