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LaNeve Orders 173rd Brigade Drone Battalion Back to Infantry

8/22/2026

Summary

LaNeve Ends Drone

Gen. Christopher LaNeve ordered the 173rd Airborne Brigade’s Unmanned Assault Battalion to revert to airborne infantry duties.
He framed the phase-out as part of his back-to-basics plan.
The roughly 600-soldier unit, created in November 2025, will join the Saber Junction exercise in Germany through September.
The Army will still expand autonomous and counter-drone capabilities despite ending the dedicated drone battalion.

Summary

Army Jams Drones

Army testing RF jamming, GPS spoofing, and high-powered microwave systems with private firms to counter drones.
AI-driven command nodes will be added under the Transformation Initiative to accelerate drone-threat decision-making.
Secretary Dan Driscoll praised Ukraine’s fully integrated drone-sensor network during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
Private sector partners are delivering prototype RF jammers and microwave weapons designed to disable hostile UAVs.

History

Historical Context

UAVs began reshaping Army operations in the mid-2000s, logging over 100,000 flight hours in Iraq and Afghanistan and prompting the Air Force to train more drone pilots than fighter pilots by 2012. Now General Christopher LaNeve orders the 173rd Airborne’s Assault Battalion to adopt counter-drone jammers, a capability under test by Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, extending the decade-long integration of unmanned systems into infantry units.

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LaNeve Ends Drone

Gen. Christopher LaNeve ordered the 173rd Airborne Brigade’s Unmanned Assault Battalion to revert to airborne infantry duties.
He framed the phase-out as part of his back-to-basics plan.
The roughly 600-soldier unit, created in November 2025, will join the Saber Junction exercise in Germany through September.
The Army will still expand autonomous and counter-drone capabilities despite ending the dedicated drone battalion.

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