U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, Republican of Mississippi and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, led a hearing to assess the state of the U.S. small drone industrial base and explore strategies for achieving American leadership in drone manufacturing.
The session included testimony from Owen O. West, Senior Advisor for Drone Dominance at the Department of Defense; Travis Metz, Program Manager for Drone Dominance; and Major General Steven M. Marks, Director of the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group.
Chairman Wicker highlighted the need to rebuild America’s drone industry, reinforce supply chains, and secure dominance in small unmanned systems that are increasingly important to modern warfare.
This hearing follows previous efforts by Chairman Wicker to support growth in America’s unmanned aircraft system sector. He has promoted competition in commercial drones, sought protections against Chinese market influence, and encouraged leveraging private sector advances for defense applications.
Last summer’s reconciliation law included $2.5 billion for domestic drone development. The Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act added policies requiring coordination among military services, private industry, allies, and various levels of government to counter threats from unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and build up U.S.-made stockpiles. Wicker stated that he is working with Secretary Hegseth on implementing these measures.
In his opening statement during the hearing, Wicker said: “The committee meets this morning to examine both the state of our small drone industrial base and the path to American leadership in drone production. This issue has profound implications for both our warfighting readiness and our future prosperity. I am not really sure Americans understand that fully yet. It is also part of our broader effort to rebuild the American arsenal.”
Wicker noted how recent conflicts have underscored the value of so-called “Group 1” drones—systems weighing less than 20 pounds—which are used extensively for reconnaissance and targeting due to their affordability and availability in large numbers.
He observed that both U.S. commercial producers and military procurement lag behind global trends: “Both the American commercial drone industry and the Pentagon are years behind the curve in producing and employing drones… But I believe we are finally on the cusp of charting a future for American drone dominance.”
Wicker explained how China captured over 90 percent of non-military small drone markets by using subsidies, aggressive pricing tactics, and controlling key supply chains: “The Chinese Communist Party correctly predicted that small drones would be a crucial technology… China used state subsidies in the tens of billions of dollars…to capture more than 90 percent of the global non-military small drone market.”
He described legislative steps Congress has taken to respond: “Last year’s defense reconciliation law set aside $2.5 billion dollars to procure a range of small drones… Just over $1 billion…will be used specifically to purchase very small Group 1 first-person-view drones.” He also referenced Section 1709 of a recent defense authorization act which bans certain Chinese companies from selling drones in America—a move implemented under FCC Chairman Brendan Carr.
Wicker emphasized continued focus on strengthening supply chains through new working groups established by recent legislation: “We directed the Pentagon to establish a working group to assess our small drone industrial base capacity.”
He welcomed input from Major General Marks about scaling up investments into larger attack drones as well as unmanned boats after their use in combat operations earlier this year.
Summarizing prospects for growth despite current challenges facing U.S.-based manufacturers he said: “The American drone industry is essentially starting from near zero. But today, we are on a path to a strong drone industry that can support American military and commercial demand.”
Senator Wicker serves as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee according to his official website. He represents Mississippi (official website) and has been recognized by national manufacturing organizations (official website). In addition to his work on defense issues like authoring legislation such as the SHIPS Act (official website), he participates actively on other congressional boards including those focused on maritime affairs (official website). He also supports health initiatives globally through caucus leadership (official website).
