Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the Pentagon to prioritize counter-drone weapons and defenses, treating delays in their employment as an operational risk. * Approval process: Hegseth directed the department to identify approval paths early, accelerate staffing and standardize processes across the Pentagon. * Escalation rule: The memo instructs officials to elevate approval processes when they stall. * Threat focus: The memo says the U.S. cannot fall behind as drone technology becomes more widespread and less expensive. * Conflict lessons: The Pentagon has trained with Ukrainian soldiers to study their use of unmanned systems against Russian forces. 02-OCT-2026 10:51 AM ET