The Biden Administration Builds Armies of Drones to Counter Military Threats from China

 


Full disclosure: This article was written in part, using AI applications. Claims made have been fact-checked for accuracy.

Defense officials have for years talked about how drones will play a central role in future wars, but other than fiddling at the margins, little has been done to build a large, AI-enabled network of military uncrewed vehicles. The worry in Washington has been that Beijing is ahead of the United States in developing the military use of drones and its growing drone fleets could swarm and confuse the radars and air defenses of U.S. warships, and critical bases in Guam and Japan.

Biden’s Pentagon unveiled the Replicator program, an effort to build thousands of relatively cheap and quickly replaceable drones that can work together to attack, swarm, and bedevil enemy defenses. The goal is to have the drones up and flying within two years. The program, which Pentagon officials say is more reliant on AI software installed on existing drones than buying new systems, would be a game-changer for the normally slow, risk-averse Pentagon procurement bureaucracy.

The Biden administration is significantly ramping up its drone capabilities to counter military threats from China, a strategic move aimed at addressing the evolving landscape of modern warfare. This initiative, encapsulated in the ambitious "Replicator" program, represents a decisive step toward maintaining U.S. military superiority, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Replicator program, unveiled in August 2023 by Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, aims to deploy thousands of autonomous systems across multiple domains within two years. These drones are designed to be attritable, meaning they are inexpensive enough to be considered expendable if necessary, yet capable of delivering significant tactical advantages. The emphasis is on creating platforms that are "small, smart, cheap, and many," a clear shift from the traditional focus on large, expensive, and sophisticated military hardware. (Defense News. 2023)

Once implemented, the U.S. would potentially be positioned to assume real leadership in uncrewed and AI-enabled technology, an area where it has always been strong but where other countries have started moving faster.

The strategic rationale behind Replicator is to counter China’s numerical advantage. China boasts more ships, missiles, and personnel, leveraging mass as a core component of its military strategy. The U.S. response, as outlined by Hicks, is to deploy a mass of its own drones that are harder to detect, target, and defeat. This approach is informed by recent conflicts, notably the war in Ukraine, where inexpensive, commercially available drones have proven invaluable on the battlefield for reconnaissance, targeting, and direct attacks. (2023).

Tech firms and lawmakers still want more specifics on how this is all supposed to work. But if things go as planned, the success of the program would be a major win for the White House, which has been eager to display American technological and industrial might.

Replicator is structured to accelerate the procurement and deployment of these drones by bypassing some of the bureaucratic hurdles that typically slow down defense acquisition processes. It relies on the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to identify and vet promising technologies and streamline their integration into the military. This parallel procurement pathway is designed to foster a culture of rapid innovation and risk-taking within the Department of Defense (DoD). (2023).

Funding for Replicator is drawn from existing programs across the military services, with an initial focus on research, development, testing, and evaluation. The initiative is expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars, a relatively small fraction of the DoD's overall budget but significant enough to catalyze the deployment of these new systems. (2023).

In addition to Replicator, the Biden administration is enhancing its drone capabilities through international collaborations. Notably, the U.S. recently approved a nearly $4 billion sale of advanced MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones to India. This deal is part of a broader effort to strengthen defense ties with India and counter China’s influence in the region. (Defense News. 2024】.

The administration's focus on drones extends to Africa as well, where the U.S. has established a significant drone base in Niger. This base plays a crucial role in counterterrorism operations and reflects the broader strategy of using drones to project power and influence globally, not just in Asia. (Democracy Now. 2023).

Through these initiatives, the Biden administration aims to ensure that the U.S. military remains agile and capable of responding to the multifaceted challenges posed by China and other global adversaries. The strategic deployment of drones is central to this vision, offering a blend of technological innovation, cost-efficiency, and tactical flexibility that is well-suited to the demands of contemporary warfare.

References

Replicator: an inside look at the pentagon’s ambitious drone program. (2023). Defense News. Retrieved June 12, 2024 from https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2023/12/19/replicator-an-inside-look-at-the-pentagons-ambitious-drone-program/

Pentagon unveils replicator drone program to compete with china. (2023). Defense News. Retrieved June 12, 2024 from https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2023/08/28/pentagon-unveils-replicator-drone-program-to-compete-with-china/

Biden administration moves forward on india drone sale. (2024). Defense News. Retrieved June 12, 2024 from https://www.defensenews.com/unmanned/2024/02/01/biden-administration-moves-forward-on-india-drone-sale/

Blinken Visits Niger, Home to U.S. Drone Base, as Biden Moves to Counter China & Russia in Africa. Democracy Now! (2023). Retrieved June 12, 2024 from https://www.democracynow.org/2023/3/16/antony_blinken_niger_visit.

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