Given an hour to solve a problem, Einstein quipped, “I’d spend fifty-five minutes thinking about the problem and five minutes thinking about solutions.” When mass-produced drones proliferated in Ukraine, the Pentagon inverted this theory. The problem was immediately identified: our defense bureaucracy could not keep up with offshore production. Year after year we dithered over solutions while adversarial advantage grew.

For decades there was evidence supporting the U.S. preference for quality weapons over quantity. After 9/11, special operations forces armed expensive surveillance drones to kill individual terrorists, the largest comparative advantage of the wars. 

No effort was made to cheapen, miniaturize, and scale surveillance strikes for our infantry…

In mid-December, Col. Scott Cuomo, the commander of Marine Corps Base Quantico's Weapons Training Battalion, walked into a holiday party with senior service officials wearing an ugly Christmas sweater.

Within minutes and amid the holiday jubilation, he was confronted by a problem -- and subsequently a mission -- that has been top of mind for officials across the Marine Corps and the broader Department of Defense, especially as the war in Ukraine continues to rage on: drones….

The United States National Drone Association (USNDA) has thrown its support behind the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), lauding provisions aimed at weakening China’s grip on the US drone market while strengthening domestic manufacturing. Representing a coalition of national security and defense professionals, the USNDA is a non-profit organization advocating for the safe and innovative use of drones in national security, public safety, and other critical sectors.

Nathan Ecelbarger, spokesman for USNDA’s provisional Board of Directors, commends congressional leaders, including Sen. Rick Scott and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, for championing provisions that enhance US security while bolstering the resilience of the nation’s drone supply chains.

The United States National Drone Association (USNDA) has officially announced its formation, with offices in Washington, DC, and its national headquarters situated at Full Sail University in Florida. The USNDA aims to advance drone technology across various sectors by collaborating with students, faculty, and industry leaders through academic and technological partnerships.

The 501(c)3 nonprofit organization says its mission is to strengthen the US drone industry by fostering research, developing prototypes, and promoting practical applications of drone technology. A key component of this effort is the planned establishment of a Collaborative Capstone Research Laboratory (CCRL) at Full Sail University by 2027. This facility will focus on small drone experimentation, counter-drone technologies, and drone swarming prototypes, possibly engaging over 100,000 students from more than 10 colleges and universities in the region…