The Department of War issued a memorandum last year detailing the department’s goal of “drone dominance” to arm every Army squad with one-way attack drones. The threefold mission included plans to purchase American-made drones, arm combat units with low-cost drones, and “train as we expect to fight” by overcoming “bureaucratic risk-aversion” from budgeting to training.

The drone dominance plan was included in President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, with a $1 billion plan to purchase lethal drones over the next two years.

The drone dominance program includes four parts. The plans in the second part started last month, with the War Department ordering 30,000 one-way attack drones to be delivered to military units over the next five months.

While Skydio drones have been purchased by the War Department for combat purposes, engineers and developers have found ways to enable models to serve as first responders, allowing operators to remotely deploy aircraft from docking stations integrated into broader security networks. 

The ability of the Skydio drones to connect to sensors makes them ideal for security purposes. Drones can connect to sensors such as license plate readers, cameras, and acoustic detectors, enabling a drone to autonomously respond to alerts and stream real-time video back to the operator, according to a Skydio official. 

Skydio drones come in several models, but those used for installation security are equipped with features such as 360-degree obstacle avoidance, 3D scanning to produce digital models, cybersecurity protection, and 4K video and image capture with 16-times digital zoom.

The drones can also operate on multiple frequencies to overcome interference. This is particularly useful because it makes it extremely difficult for electronic warfare or intentional jamming to disrupt communication, as the signal constantly changes frequencies.

Skydio drones operate with the help of “narrow AI,” an artificial intelligence algorithm that focuses on one task. When drones are used for patrol and security, AI is used for tracking objectives. 

How drones are used domestically

The official explained that drones can be launched within seconds of an alert, often faster than officers can arrive, providing visual confirmation and reconnaissance before personnel are dispatched.

As Skydio drones operate, they collect vast amounts of data. Skydio provides its own secure cloud storage, but operators can also opt out of using it and offload information to their own servers. 

Retired Army Lt. Col. Freddie de la Cruz, a former military police officer and force protection specialist, said the core mission of installation security has not changed: identifying threats and mitigating them before they can cause harm.

De la Cruz explained that drones can serve as a passive form of mitigation, helping soldiers determine how to approach a potential threat. 

“You got intel, saying, ‘Hey … this is the threat,’” he said. “And as an operator … we develop mitigation plans … telling people what they have to do to mitigate these threats.” 

On large installations such as Fort Bragg in North Carolina, where dense woods and expansive perimeters create vulnerabilities, drones can help monitor “accessible approach areas” outside controlled entry points. 

The systems can also reduce false alarms by initially deploying a drone to investigate, rather than dispatching troops to investigate every alert. 

Skydio officials say modern drones are equipped with both standard and thermal cameras, allowing them to distinguish between humans, animals, and objects, even at night, and relay that information back to operators.

Drone technology isn’t expected to replace operators, but can assist with shortages

The U.S. Military has struggled with recruitment shortfalls in recent history. The U.S. Army, in particular, has faced the brunt of low recruitment, recently missing recruitment targets by 25% and 10% in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

More recently, recruitment has rebounded under War Secretary Pete Hegseth. In fiscal 2025, all branches saw a rise after Hegseth’s establishment of the recruitment task force. Additionally, the Army raised its enlistment age to 42 and eased restrictions on applicants with previous low-level marijuana convictions.

However, fluctuations have been the norm since the armed forces shifted to a volunteer-only basis in the 1970s.

Drones for security offer a safeguard when recruitment drops, as Skydio’s autonomous drones increase an individual soldier’s work capacity.

The systems also rely on human oversight, even as automation increases. While drones can fly autonomously and avoid obstacles, decisions about how to respond remain with operators.

The 133rd Security Forces Squadron out of St. Paul, Minnesota, started using Skydio’s X2D Drones for security and patrol at Camp Ripley Training Center. 

Eight airmen were first trained in 2023 to deploy Skydio drones for a variety of situations, including domestic response, hurricane relief, infantry training, and active shooters.

For de la Cruz, who began his career before such technology was available, the potential advantages are clear. He recalled using helicopters to photograph bases and manually map security layouts, a process that could now be sped up with drones. 

Still, he emphasized that drones are only one layer in a broader defense strategy that includes checkpoints, physical barriers, and personnel. 

“It’s a process,” he said. “You’re protecting people or assets … you’ve got to identify what the threat is.”

As technology advances, some routine security roles may shift. Jobs such as gate guards and vehicle inspection teams, which are responsible for screening incoming traffic and identifying suspicious behavior, are increasingly supported by sensor data and aerial surveillance that can flag risks before a vehicle enters a checkpoint.

Perimeter patrol units, which traditionally drive or walk large installation boundaries, may be reduced or redeployed as drones conduct continuous monitoring of remote or wooded areas.

At the same time, new roles are emerging. Operations center analysts could monitor live drone feeds and coordinate responses, while drone operators oversee autonomous flights and intervene when needed.

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Cybersecurity specialists could also play a central role in drones as a first responder by managing data systems that store and transmit sensitive surveillance footage.

Skydio officials with military experience said the shift is less about replacing personnel and more about optimizing them by moving troops from routine patrol and observational duties to higher-priority response and decision-making roles