army Special Forces Officers Advocate for Drone Integration as Ammunition Supply
WASHINGTON D.C. – Two U.S. Army Special Forces commanders are calling for a fundamental shift in how the Army acquires and distributes small drones, arguing they should be treated as ammunition rather than customary military equipment. In a recent article published by War on the Rocks, Zachary Griffiths and Jeff Ivas contend this approach would streamline logistics, reduce costs, and accelerate drone proliferation to frontline units.
the officers, who command units within the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), propose integrating drone allocations into existing unit budgets and leveraging the established ”ammunition enterprise” for procurement and distribution. This system, they argue, offers transparency through the ammunition forecasting system, predictable demand for suppliers, and a simplified accountability process – replacing property loss investigations with a standard “forecast, draw, fly, turn in” loop.
Griffiths and Ivas suggest a phased implementation, beginning with adding drones to squad and platoon-level tasks and establishing “role-based drone families” focused initially on reconnaissance and first-person view capabilities as they become available from the Army’s SkyFoundry. They recommend piloting the program at Army posts housing “transforming-in-contact” brigades,units already gaining experience with small drone integration.
The authors emphasize the adaptability of this approach, noting it remains beneficial even if the Army expands drone-related occupational specialties and could readily accommodate emerging drone technologies like ground and maritime drones. They also point to the existing ammunition system’s capacity to handle complex and expensive systems – citing the $4 million Patriot missile – as precedent for incorporating more elegant one-way attack drones.
“Small drones are ammunition. The Army should treat them as such,” they conclude.
