In a Nov. 16 appearance on CBS’s Face the Nation, U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll warned that cheap, easily made drones — which he described as 'flying IEDs' — pose an urgent security challenge and said the Army is leading the Pentagon’s counter‑drone effort under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
On Sunday, November 16, 2025, U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll appeared on CBS’s Face the Nation to discuss the escalating threat posed by small unmanned aircraft. Calling drones “the threat of humanity’s lifetime,” Driscoll said low‑cost, 3D‑printed models can function as “flying IEDs,” cross borders quickly and cause outsized damage — citing lessons from Ukraine’s extensive drone use against Russian forces.
Driscoll said that under Secretary of War (Defense Secretary) Pete Hegseth, the Army has been put in charge of the Pentagon’s counter‑drone mission and is working closely with federal, state and local law enforcement. He emphasized that no single tool is sufficient: jamming alone won’t stop hard‑wired drones, and measures such as net guns and other interceptors must be coordinated in real time. He advocated building a “digital layer” to share sensing and command‑and‑control data so the nearest trained personnel or systems can neutralize a threat quickly.
The secretary said the challenge is acute around airports, borders and ports, and at major events such as NFL games, the World Cup and the Olympics. On domestic airspace management, Driscoll voiced cautious optimism about broader restrictions and tracking, saying he expects a solution that will let authorities “know what is in the sky at every moment” nationwide while enabling commercial uses — including by companies like Amazon. He likened protections for critical venues to a “golden mini dome” that combines detection, interceptors and trained responders, adding that coordination with the FAA will be essential.
Driscoll’s remarks also align with a parallel push to scale up U.S. drone production. Earlier this month, Reuters reported that the Army plans to buy at least one million drones over the next two to three years — a sharp increase from current levels — and to stimulate domestic production of key components while treating many drones as expendable munitions. Separate reporting this year has described U.S. surveillance drone flights over Mexico — which Mexico’s president said were conducted at her government’s request — and the testing of AI‑enabled security drones at U.S. military installations, underscoring how drone issues now span military and civilian settings.
Editor’s note: Driscoll was sworn in as the Army’s 26th secretary on February 25, 2025, according to Army officials.
