Drones ‘change everything’ about combined arms combat, US Army aviation chief says
AI Analysis
The U.S. Army is adapting its drone warfare strategies, recognizing the transformative impact of drones on combined arms combat. Observations from global conflicts, particularly Ukraine, are influencing the development of unique U.S. Army drone doctrines.
Key Takeaways
- Drones are significantly altering U.S. Army aviation and combined arms training.
- The Army is developing its own drone combat doctrine, distinct from other nations.
- Small, cost-effective drones are proliferating across military branches.
- The Army is studying global conflicts, including Ukraine, to refine its drone strategies.
- The Army's approach to drone warfare emphasizes creativity and adaptability.
Why It Matters
The integration of drones into military operations is reshaping combat strategies, necessitating new doctrines and training approaches. By learning from global conflicts, the U.S. Army aims to enhance its capabilities and maintain a strategic advantage in drone warfare.
Drones ‘change everything’ about combined arms combat, US Army aviation chief says
Drones ‘change everything’ about combined arms combat, US Army aviation chief says
By Zita Ballinger Fletcher Feb 20, 2026, 11:03 PM ![] Soldiers operate a drone during the U.S. Army Best Drone Warfighter Competition in Huntsville, Alabama, Feb. 18, 2026. (Sgt. Aaron Troutman/U.S. Army) HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — [Drones] are profoundly changing the Army’s approach to [aviation] and combined arms training, Maj. Gen. Clair A. Gill, commanding general of the [U.S. Army] Aviation Center of Excellence, told Military Times in an interview. During the Army’s first annual [Best Drone Warfighter Competition] in Huntsville, Alabama, the Fort Rucker-based aviation chief shared his insights about the impact of [drones on military doctrine]. “The application of drone technology is only limited by your creativity,” he said. “It’s this constantly evolving game of technology and craftsmanship to create the desired effect that you want on the other end.” While Army aviators are no strangers to unmanned systems, drones being fielded today are immensely different from those developed over the last two decades, many of which tended to be larger and required more manpower to operate, Gill said. “In the last five to 10 years I would say we have seen a complete shift in what drone technology is and how it can be used,” Gill said. The net result, he added, is that drones are “no longer just the purview of Army aviation.” “I would argue now with the proliferation of small drones and how cheap and effective they can be that Army aviation is just one minor user now. ... Everybody is going to have drones in the airspace to some degree. “It’s going to change everything. The nature of war is the same. It’s always an endeavor of human conflict. But the character of war is just fundamentally different.”
Lessons from Ukraine
Drones have been used successfully as a force multiplier in a variety of global conflicts, from Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan to the Middle East and Ukraine. While the U.S. Army is adapting its approaches based on observing other forces around the world, Gill stressed that there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to drone warfare. The U.S. Army must develop drone combat doctrine in line with its unique capabilities, he said. “We’re not the Ukrainian army, nor are we the Russian army,” he said. “We just fundamentally operate differently.” ![] U.S. Army Spc. Christopher Newton, left, and Spc. Jonathan Tirado, middle, brief Maj. Gen. Clair Gill on operations in Powidz, Poland, April 28, 2025. (Sgt. James Lefty Larimer/U.S. Army) Gill told Military Times that observers from the Army Aviation Center of Excellence are currently embedded with Ukraine’s Security Assistance Group, or [SAG-U], to study lessons from the conflict. However, fighting methods from Ukraine should not be broadly applied to