Pentagon clears way for anti-drone tech: Hegseth memo

( NewsNation ) — The Pentagon is emphasizing development and deployment of anti-drone weapons and defenses, according to a new memo from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that was shared in part to NewsNation.

The memo instructs the Defense Department to treat delays in the employment of counter-unmanned aircraft systems as an “operational risk.”

“This memorandum directs the Department to accept prudent risks, identify approval paths early, staff them fast, standardize them across the Department, and elevate them when they stall,” Hegseth wrote.

Drones have been deployed in conflicts across the world throughout the decade, most notably in Ukraine as the country has stymied Russia’s forces using unmanned systems that has extended the war longer than many thought possible.

These drones are even used at the southern border , as the Department of Homeland Security works to counter attempted smuggling operations from cartels. The U.S. has also used lasers to disrupt cartel drones this summer.

The Pentagon memo says the U.S. cannot fall behind as the technology becomes more ubiquitous and less expensive.

The military has trained with Ukrainian soldiers to learn more about how they’ve used drones. There was an Army program dedicated to studying drones in foreign wars , but the general in charge was removed in July and the program was disbanded in August.

“We will not answer a fast-moving threat with a slow-moving bureaucracy,” Hegseth wrote.