Pentagon official says US was unprepared for drone warfare

The United States had been “caught flat-footed” by drone warfare in Ukraine and Russia, Pentagon under secretary for research and engineering Emil Michael said at the Wall Street Journal Tech conference in Napa, California, on November 4, according to Hindustan Times’ report of Wall Street Journal reporting. He said the US was increasing its drone stockpile as the military adapts to a form of warfare it had not anticipated.

Michael said the United States manufactured about 1,000 drones under the previous administration and now held about 500,000. Hindustan Times reported his comparison with Ukraine’s estimate that it would build 8 million to 10 million drones this year, as the war with Russia approached its fifth year. The Ukraine figure is an estimate, not a confirmed production total; both figures were reported as Michael’s account and Ukraine’s estimate, respectively.

How Ukraine shaped the Pentagon’s drone response

The Pentagon’s Project Meridian is studying how future conflicts could unfold, including underground or in space, Hindustan Times reported. The group includes SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk and Anduril Industries founder Palmer Luckey. The report did not detail specific recommendations or link the project to a particular drone procurement decision.

Michael says AI targeting still relies on human work

Michael also described limits on the military’s use of artificial intelligence in combat. He said target development relied more on intelligence reports, satellite imagery and other human-led investigation than on AI-generated targets, adding: “We’re not that sophisticated in doing these kinds of things.” He said appropriate human judgment was necessary at every level.

Hindustan Times reported that Michael declined to comment on a US strike in Iran in February that hit a girls’ school after it was mistaken for a military target. More than 100 people were killed, including dozens of children, according to the report, which said the US had not released its investigation’s findings. The report said planning for the strike involved an AI targeting system; Michael’s remarks did not establish what role that system played in the strike.

A separate AI policy announcement at the Napa conference

Reuters, in a separate report republished by The Straits Times, said Michael announced that a government task force would publish a regulatory landscape for domestic AI labs “in the next week or two.” He said the framework was intended to build public confidence and warned that, without one, “535 legislators” could write rules that might “kill the industry.” The task force’s planned publication concerned AI regulation; Reuters’ report did not independently confirm Michael’s comments about drone readiness or stockpile figures.