Who Is Daniel Driscoll? Inside the Army Secretary’s Bold Plan to Transform U.S. Defense in 2025

Lead paragraph U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll has unveiled a dual-track strategy to catapult the service into a new era of high-tempo warfare: purchase at least one million small drones within three years and tear down decades-old acquisition bureaucracy to get cutting-edge tech to soldiers faster. One Million-Drone Push Speaking from Picatinny Arsenal, Driscoll said the Army currently fields about 50,000 unmanned systems a year but must scale “to ammunition-like volumes” after watching Russia and Ukraine fly millions of low-cost quadcopters over the battlefield. The goal is to ignite a domestic supply chain—from brushless motors to batteries—that can surge in a crisis and loosen China’s grip on the global drone market. Why the Army Is Rushing Cheap autonomous aircraft have proved lethal for surveillance, precision strikes and swarming attacks. Driscoll warned that adversaries already mass-produce drones “like disposable bullets,” and the United States must do the same or risk strategic surprise. Lawmakers are drafting legislation for a Texas megafactory, but Driscoll prefers a distributed network of commercial and defense startups that also sell to retailers and delivery firms, widening the talent and investment pool. Overhauling Acquisition Bureaucracy To keep pace with Silicon Valley refresh cycles, Driscoll is collapsing the Army’s 12 Program Executive Offices into six “Portfolio Acquisition Executives” that combine requirements writers, testers, and contracting officers under a single two-star leader. The reorganization could cut procurement timelines by 30–50 percent, he told Breaking Defense. A new Pathway for Innovation and Technology (PIT) will absorb rapid-prototyping shops and the Army Applications Lab to shepherd non-traditional vendors from prototype to production. Industry Impact Defense primes will no longer be the only gatekeepers. Driscoll is courting makers of commercial quadcopters, autonomous software, and counter-UAS “net rounds” to bid on rapid contracts. The Army will treat many airframes as single-use rounds, creating recurring demand for sensors, AI chips and electronic-warfare payloads that can be swapped in weeks rather than years. Analysts estimate the one-million order could exceed $6 billion and spawn hundreds of small-business contracts. Challenges Ahead Funding is not guaranteed. Congress must approve divestments from legacy programs, and critics worry about cybersecurity and export-control risks when relying on portions of a global supply chain. The Pentagon’s stalled Replicator initiative shows how difficult scaling autonomy can be, but Driscoll argues his portfolio shake-up aligns incentives and accountability for faster fielding. What Comes Next The first bulk drone solicitations are expected in early 2026, synchronized with trials of new counter-UAS lasers and microwave weapons. By late 2027, the Army wants combat brigades to carry inventory numbers of drones rivaling their 5.56 mm rounds. “Drones are the future of warfare, and we’re investing so our soldiers never enter a fight out-numbered in the sky,” Driscoll said. SEO Keywords: Daniel Driscoll, U.S. Army Secretary, one million drones, Army drone procurement, acquisition reform, Portfolio Acquisition Executives, drone supply chain, Army modernization, counter-UAS, military drones 2025.