# Exclusive | New Drone Unit to Be Phased Out as Hegseth’s Army Pick Makes His Mark

**By:** Michael R. Gordon and Lara Seligman  
**Published:** 2026-08-19T23:04:00.000Z  
**Source:** [The Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/new-drone-unit-to-be-phased-out-as-hegseths-army-pick-makes-his-mark-ff5f5fc8)

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https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/new-drone-unit-to-be-phased-out-as-hegseths-army-pick-makes-his-mark-ff5f5fc8

New Drone Unit to Be Phased Out as Hegseth’s Army Pick Makes His Mark

Gen. Christopher LaNeve takes aim at a cutting-edge drone unit, one of several moves he has made since taking over the Army

A U.S. Army servicemember using a small unmanned aircrafts system, or sUAS, controller.  Thomas Dixon/U.S. Army

WASHINGTON—The Army took a major step to prepare for wars of the future in January when it established a new battalion in Europe to master the art of fighting with drones and ground robots. 
The idea was to learn the lessons of the conflict in Ukraine that has been raging on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s doorstep and develop cutting-edge military systems and tactics to counter the Russian threat. 
But the much touted drone assault battalion is being phased out. After participating in a major exercise in Germany in August and September, the unit will report its findings to the Army to guide future experimentation, shed its drone assault role and “refocus on its core warfighting tasks as an airborne infantry battalion,” an Army official told The Wall Street Journal in a statement. 
The elimination of a futuristic drone battalion is part of a broader “back-to-basics” approach ordered up by Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the acting chief of staff of the Army who is closely aligned with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The battalion was a signature initiative of LaNeve’s predecessor, Gen. Randy George, whom Hegseth ousted in April.