Latest news with #NathanEcelbarger
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Marine Corps Releases New Details on Drone Competitions Coming to Bases Around the World
Five Marine Corps bases will host drone competitions to test Marine teams from across the fleet on "hunter-killer" drone employment, speed and agility, with the first event occurring at Quantico, Virginia, in November, according to a service message last week and a Marine Corps spokesperson. The Marine Corps is calling on units across the fleet to stand up their own drone teams to participate in competitions at these installations located around the world starting this year, a massive step the service says will foster a new culture around unmanned systems as it races to build its drone repertoire. All Marine Corps units can participate. The teams will consist of at least six Marines, including one officer, a staff noncommissioned officer and four first-person-view drone operators who need to be approved by their command to participate, pass a drone operator physical and "possess the maturity and competence to safely" fly the drones, the message said. Read Next: Pentagon Diverts $1 Billion from Army Barracks to Fund Border Mission Service leaders and experts have said in recent months that this type of competition will give more Marines the chance to get their hands on drones and test emerging capabilities in a way that accelerates the Corps' ability to fight future conflicts as the war in Ukraine rages on and rivals such as China, Russia and Iran have ramped up their own unmanned fleets. "There is a clear recognition that the competition model closes the traditional gap between warfighter and drone capability -- moving traditional, bureaucratic requirements and acquisitions process[es] to the sideline," Nathan Ecelbarger, the president of the United States National Drone Association, or USNDA, told on Wednesday. The service established the Marine Corps Attack Drone Team, or MCADT, in January, which has become the epicenter of the amphibious branch's tactical unmanned systems effort. Ecelbarger described the team as "first to fight" in the competition model, but added that other services are expected to soon announce their own competitive teams. The MCADT will compete in the first "Drone Crucible Championship" against the 75th Ranger Regiment's team this summer, which is expected to further inform the fleet on best practices and requirements to field teams across the force. The event will be hosted by the USNDA in Florida. "This is a different type of competition we're building from the ground up; it isn't as simple as a 'service volleyball team' where we can copy and paste traditional rules," Ecelbarger said. "Competition for the sake of competition isn't the end state; it's the means to the end state," which is "accelerating the warfighting capabilities of the nation." He added the USNDA is developing two different efforts across the Department of Defense, which include the Drone Competition Program, where all service members can test and build their skills, and the Drone Crucible Program, where "pro teams" from the services will go head to head while engaging simulated enemy squads and convoys, as well as aerial and maritime targets. Units that want to participate in the fleet-wide competitions, which are in conjunction with the service's marksmanship competitions, need to get their drones approved by the MCADT. Those drones need to be "man-packable," meaning they can be carried by Marines to the competition, under 20 pounds, built with law-compliant parts and under $2,000, not including goggles, controllers, radios or other supporting equipment, the message said. Marine Corp Bases Quantico; Butler in Japan; Hawaii; Camp Pendleton in California; and Camp Lejeune in North Carolina are charged with hosting regional competitions and need to start deconflicting frequencies, ranges and other logistics for the events that will occur throughout the next year, according to the message. Maj. Hector Infante, a service spokesperson, said the USNDA is not involved with the planning and coordination of those events at this time. The message also announced a "Summer Augment Program," which will include high-performing Marines across the force participating in competitions between April and August with the MCADT, with the potential to be recruited onto the team full time. Ecelbarger said that while services are working through the logistics of setting up their competitive programs, individual troops should be getting "stick time," or practice with drones in commercial simulators or in civilian competitions. They should also study "every single piece of literature and research coming out of Ukraine." "As soon as you're done reading, you aren't finished," he added. "Something new has emerged. Embrace the mindset of checking your own assumptions." Marine leaders and experts alike have described numerous challenges in building military drone capabilities. Those include the slow acquisition process as new technologies proliferate and units working with or around existing policies so troops can schedule range time, coordinate air space and frequencies, or navigate what is commercially available but compliant with the law. "We can't afford to close our grasp around today's shiny capability while tomorrow's countermeasure is lost, just out of reach, ready to be employed by our adversaries," Ecelbarger said. Related: Marine Corps Drone Team Competitions Are Coming to a Unit Near You Soon
Associated Press
28-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
USNDA Launches DroneWERX White List Program: "The Warfighter's Reddit for Emerging Drone Technologies" Set to Pilot in 2025 Events
WASHINGTON, April 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. National Drone Association (USNDA) today announced the launch of its DroneWERX White List Program, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at breaking down bureaucratic barriers to innovation by directly connecting warfighter-identified challenges to American-made drone and counter-drone solutions from academia, startups, and industry. Nicknamed 'The Warfighter's Reddit,' the USNDA's DroneWERX White List Program reignites and amplifies the success of DroneWERX program originally launched in 2017 as a U.S. Special Operations Command initiative funded through the Special Capabilities Office, reinvigorating a transparent, collaborative ecosystem for sourcing operational problems, crowdsourcing solutions, and accelerating field-ready capabilities—all with the goal of igniting the American drone industrial base and reducing reliance on China's drone supply chain. Accelerating Hands On Evaluation Department of Defense (DoD) programs currently governing small drone acquisition remain complex and restrictive, resulting in a systemic bottleneck. Warfighters across the country are unable to access or experiment with new technologies at the speed of relevance, stifling both operational adaptability and domestic innovation. 'Congress has handed the DoD two difficult simultaneous tasks; to prepare for a drone war with China by 2027, and to develop a strong U.S. drone industrial base' said Nathan Ecelbarger, USNDA President. 'It should not require a General Officer or Senior Acquisitions Manager's signature to allow warfighters to access and train with emerging NDAA compliant, American-made drone technologies while they await final 'approvals'. The DroneWERX White List will give the operational community the technology toolbox they need and clear the runway for innovators—creating transparency and consistency across the board. We look forward to working with our industry, academic, and operational unit partners to spearhead this effort in the State of Florida.' Not a Gating Mechanism — A Live, Open Repository The DroneWERX White List will not be a traditional down-select process or approval threshold. It will be structured as a living, transparent repository that crowdsources feedback from operational end users and creates transparency for problem-solvers with potentially viable solutions. As the DoD works to loosen policy and delegate approvals, operational commanders will have direct access to emerging solutions to integrate into their training and experimentation. There is no 'didn't make the list.' If you: 1) Identify a legitimate operational UxS problem, 2) Offer a solution from academia, startup firms or commercial industry, and 3) Are committed to pursuing NDAA compliance and scaling to meet DoD needs— Then you belong on the list. How the DroneWERX White List Works: Ready to Pilot in 2025 USNDA Drone Crucible In July 2025 the U.S. Army Special Operations Command's 75th Ranger Regiment is set to take on the U.S. Marine Corps Attack Drone Team at the first USNDA Drone Crucible, a closed competition that will bring both mature and early prototype American made drones to the same field, to help the service teams develop TTPs and identify the best emerging technologies. The USNDA will pilot this program directly with Special Operations Command (SOCOM) UxS Task Force as the lead DoD partner, evaluating emerging technology on behalf of operational requirements. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Labs (MIT LL ) will participate as the lead academic partner alongside several other universities, leveraging the SOCOM Ignite model to bring operational prototypes to the field. Timeline of Launch The DroneWERX White List Program initial design architecture will be designed through a hackathon event in partnership with Dr. Eric Schmidt's Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) during the AI+ Expo for National Competitiveness, taking place June 2–4, 2025 in Washington, D.C. 'The DroneWERX White List is an important step toward highlighting and accelerating the incredible work being done by American industry and academia to restore our national competitiveness. It brings visibility to the innovators who are helping to rebuild a resilient domestic supply chain and reduce our dependence on foreign—particularly Chinese—drone technology. This is exactly the kind of mission-aligned initiative the U.S. needs right now.' - Ylber Bajraktari, Senior Advisor, Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP). The program will enter a live prototyping and collaboration phase over the summer and fall, with a soft launch and public showcase planned during the USNDA National Drone Conference in December 2025 hosted at Full Sail University in Orlando. Set to Pilot in the State of Florida The USNDA has selected the State of Florida to pilot this initiative, given the deep intersection of industry, academia, and DoD stakeholders in the region. 'Under Governor DeSantis' leadership, Florida has become the most military-friendly state in the nation—home to more than 20 major military installations, three combatant commands, and numerous military-friendly universities and industry partners,' said Florida Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly. 'We are committed to establishing Florida as best state in the nation to lead in drone manufacturing and R&D—serving our nation's warfighters and supporting a growing industry creating opportunities for Florida's job seekers and job creators.' 'From talent to technology solutions, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) works to get the best solutions from students and startups from across the country in key technology areas like autonomy. Unmanned systems like drones have changed the battlespace and DIU is excited about this new opportunity to be an onramp to emerging technologies and systems that help provide the lethality our warfighters need."- Beverly Seay, Southeast Regional Director, Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) Supplementing, not Replacing, Critical Vulnerability Analysis The DroneWERX White List program is not designed to be a replacement for critical 'last mile' analysis of systems being recommended and authorized for use in operational contexts. This initiative is recognizes the urgency of democratizing access to operational problems and promising solutions in real time for the purpose of training and evaluation in benign environments, giving operational commanders the ability to go hands on with emerging technology at the speed of relevance. The DroneWERX White List Program aims to become a cornerstone of America's drone modernization strategy and rapid acquisition strategy. Through this new platform, the USNDA is building a resilient and self-reinforcing ecosystem—one that gives the warfighter a voice, the innovator a pathway, and the nation a competitive edge. About the USNDA The U.S. National Drone Association (USNDA) is volunteer-led, mission-driven nonprofit advancing drone innovation, workforce development, and defense-industrial collaboration across the nation. Through its DroneWERX innovation platform, Drone Crucible competitions, and academic-industry partnerships, the USNDA accelerates national competitiveness in drone and counter-drone capabilities. Press and media inquiries can be sent to [email protected] View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE United States National Drone Association
