The Army's New Approach to Buying AI, Drones, and Robotics

October 19, 2025

Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll gives his opening keynote presentation during the 2025 AUSA annual meeting and exhibition. (Image: AUSA)

During the Association for the United States Army (AUSA) 2025 annual meeting and exhibition, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll's opening keynote presentation provided a reality check on the type of technologies their soldiers are using on a daily basis.

While AUSA's annual exhibition featured some of the most advanced ground vehicles, drones, and weapons systems available on the market, Driscoll said that most of the technologies the Army uses on a daily basis were developed 30 years ago. According to Driscoll, "if small arms defined the 20th century, drones will define the 21st."

Listen to this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast to hear selected portions from Driscoll’s AUSA 2025 opening keynote . In his keynote, Driscoll discusses the Army’s transition to a drone-centric future and an acquisition paradigm reshaped by Silicon Valley principles. He details how the service will contract with startups, accelerate AI/robotics/drone prototyping, and shift from multi-year procurements to lean, iterative delivery in months and thousands rather than years and billions.

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