Transcript: Army Secretary Dan Driscoll on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Nov. 16, 2025

The US Army is preparing for a significant shift in its capabilities, driven by the growing threat of drones. Secretary Dan Driscoll described the problem as "humanity's lifetime" and emphasized the need for a layered defense approach to counter this threat.

Under Secretary of War Hegseth, the Army has been tasked with leading the counter-drone effort, partnering with federal law enforcement agencies, and working with private industry to develop solutions. The Army is investing in sensors, brushless motors, circuit boards, and other components to build its own drones, which will be sold or leased to the private sector.

Driscoll acknowledged that China's production of drones exceeds 12-14 million units per year, while the US is currently producing around four million units annually. The Army aims to close this gap by leveraging American industry, partnering with leading companies in the tech sector, and investing in cutting-edge technology.

The Secretary also spoke about the importance of understanding drone usage patterns, particularly in regions like Ukraine, where drones have been used extensively. He highlighted the need for data exchange between federal agencies and law enforcement to combat this threat effectively.

In other news, Driscoll discussed the ongoing government shutdown and its impact on military families. The Army Secretary emphasized the need for sustained funding for veterans' affairs and military construction projects to ensure that troops receive the support they deserve.

Regarding international relations, Driscoll praised Ukraine's efforts in manufacturing drones and utilizing this technology against Russian forces. He noted that American industry is now working closely with Ukrainian innovators to develop counter-drone solutions, highlighting the potential benefits of collaboration between nations on security issues.

Driscoll also expressed concerns about China's military capabilities, particularly its drone production capacity. The Army aims to close the gap by investing in cutting-edge technology and partnering with leading companies to improve its own drone capabilities.

Overall, Driscoll emphasized the urgent need for a comprehensive counter-drone strategy that leverages federal agencies, law enforcement, and private industry to stay ahead of this growing threat.
 
man we gotta think about the implications of china's drone production... like 12-14 million units a year? ๐Ÿคฏ that's crazy! and its not just china, india is also stepping up their game. what does this mean for us? do we need to get into a drone arms race with these countries? ๐Ÿš€ i think the army is on the right track by partnering with private industry and investing in cutting-edge tech. but we need to make sure that our approach isn't just about countering china, but also about developing sustainable solutions that benefit everyone ๐ŸŒŽ
 
I'm low-key worried about these army drones ๐Ÿค–๐Ÿšซ. I mean, on one hand, it's cool that they're investing in tech to help them keep up with China's drone production... but what if it falls into the wrong hands? What if private companies end up selling these things to countries we shouldn't be dealing with? And have you seen those numbers - 12-14 million drones per year?! ๐Ÿคฏ That's a lot of potential risks. I think they need to do more to ensure that their tech is used responsibly and not just for the sake of profit ๐Ÿ’ธ. We can't let the military-industrial complex get too out of hand, you feel?
 
Man... drones are like something out of Terminator 2 ๐Ÿค–๐Ÿ’ป! I mean, can you even imagine having 12-14 million units flying around? That's like a whole army of machines ๐Ÿ˜ฒ. It's no wonder the US Army is getting serious about developing their own countermeasures. But what's crazy is that they're not just building their own drones, but also partnering with private industry to create solutions ๐Ÿค.

And China's got this huge production capacity going on... it's like they're fueling a drone apocalypse ๐Ÿ’ฃ! But you know what's even crazier? The US Army and Ukraine are teaming up to develop counter-drone tech together ๐Ÿค. It's like, the future of warfare is all about co-opetition ๐Ÿš€.

Anyway, I think Driscoll's right on point - we need a comprehensive strategy to tackle this threat, or else it'll be humanity's lifetime ๐Ÿ˜ฌ. Fingers crossed our military can get their act together and stay ahead of the game ๐Ÿ’ช.
 
can you imagine having 12-14 million drones in the air at any given time? ๐Ÿคฏ it's like, crazy! ๐Ÿ˜ฒ i feel bad for the army trying to keep up with china's production, but at least they're investing in tech to close the gap. ๐Ÿ’ป and its awesome that america is working with ukraine on this counter-drone stuff - collaboration between nations can lead to some game changing solutions ๐Ÿค. hopefully the government shutdown doesn't affect the funding for vets and military families too much ๐Ÿ˜•.
 
I'm low-key freaking out about these new drones lol ๐Ÿคฏ think we're in for some serious tech upgrades to keep up with China's production rates. like 14 million units per year? that's wild ๐Ÿ’ฅ the US Army needs to get its act together ASAP, can't let the enemy stay ahead of us in this space. and btw, Ukraine's been using drones to great effect against Russia, so we should be working closely with them on counter-drone tech ๐Ÿค it's all about collaboration and innovation now ๐Ÿ’ก
 
im not surprised to hear the army is getting into the drone game, been seeing those things everywhere lately especially in like, residential areas ๐Ÿคฏ. think its cool they wanna partner with tech companies and ukraine too tho, collaborative efforts can really make a difference. but china's production numbers are insane what if the usa cant even keep up? that gap needs to get closed ASAP ๐Ÿ’ธ
 
I'm so worried about these drones, they're like an arms race, right? ๐Ÿšจ I mean, 12-14 million units per year is crazy! We need to get our act together and invest in some serious tech, not just talk about it. And what's up with the Chinese doing all this? It's like they're trying to outdo everyone. ๐Ÿ˜ฌ
 
I'm not sure if the US Army is ready to take on China's drone production in numbers ๐Ÿค”. I mean, 12-14 million units per year is a huge gap, and it's gonna be tough to close that in a short span of time. They're gonna have to invest heavily in tech and industry partnerships, which is great, but let's not forget the resources required for that too ๐Ÿ’ธ.

And what about the logistics of building their own drones? It sounds like they're looking at a lot of components from other companies, which might raise some IP concerns ๐Ÿค. I'm all for American innovation, but let's make sure we're not compromising on security here ๐Ÿšซ.

I do think Ukraine's efforts in manufacturing drones are a great example of how collaboration can lead to solutions, though ๐ŸŒˆ. And it's good to see the US Army working with Ukrainian innovators to develop counter-drone solutions - that's what we need more of ๐Ÿ’ป.

Still, I'm not convinced that the gap will be closed anytime soon ๐Ÿ•ฐ๏ธ. We need a long-term strategy here, not just a quick fix ๐Ÿ’ธ. And what about the impact on our own drone capabilities? Are we sure we want to focus so much on countering China's drones? ๐Ÿค”
 
๐Ÿค” I'm kinda worried about China's drone production capacity ๐Ÿš๐Ÿ’ฅ it's like they're churning out millions of them every year! 12-14 million units per year is insane ๐Ÿคฏ how can the US hope to compete with that? We need to invest in some serious tech ๐Ÿ’ป and partner up with Ukrainian innovators ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ to develop some counter-drone solutions ASAP โฐ. It's all about staying ahead of the threat ๐Ÿ•ต๏ธโ€โ™‚๏ธ, you know?
 
I'm worried about these tiny flying machines ๐Ÿค–! China's producing way more drones than us and it's getting really scary ๐Ÿ’ฅ. I think we need to step up our game and invest in tech that can take down those drones ASAP ๐Ÿ’จ. We can't let the US Army lag behind on this one, that's not cool ๐Ÿ˜Ž. Partnering with other countries like Ukraine is a great idea though, they're already using their drone skills against Russia ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ. Let's work together and get our drones game on ๐Ÿ”ฅ!
 
๐Ÿคฏ can you believe how fast drones are becoming a major issue? I mean, China is making like 12-14 million of them every year! ๐Ÿšจ we need to step up our game here in the US and invest in some cutting-edge tech that can take on these drones. it's crazy that the Army Secretary has to say it's "humanity's lifetime" problem, but I guess someone's gotta speak truth. ๐Ÿ’ก partnering with Ukraine is a great idea btw, who knew we'd be working with them on drone tech? ๐Ÿค
 
Drones are getting out of hand, you know? ๐Ÿšจ I mean, China is pumping out like 12-14 million units a year, while the US can only manage 4 million. It's crazy! We need to step up our game and get some decent tech on our side. The Army's trying to build its own drones and sell/lease them to private companies, which is a good move, but we also need to invest in sensors, motors, and whatnot. And let's not forget about Ukraine - those guys are already using drones to take down Russian forces, and it's inspiring to see! ๐Ÿค– But seriously, we can't just sit back and wait for China to catch up. We need a comprehensive plan to counter this threat and stay ahead of the game. ๐Ÿ’ก
 
๐Ÿค” The US Army is like "game on" for those pesky drones ๐Ÿš. I'm not surprised they're investing in building their own drones, it makes sense. China's drone production is crazy ๐Ÿš€, 12-14 million units per year?! That's like having a drone party ๐ŸŽ‰ every day! But hey, the US Army is trying to keep up with the tech game ๐Ÿ’ป and I think that's a great idea.

I'd love to see them share data on drone usage patterns ๐Ÿ“Š, it would be super helpful in understanding how drones are used and where they're being used. And partnering with private industry, law enforcement, and Ukraine? That's like a superpower team ๐Ÿ”ฅ. It's all about being proactive and preparing for the future.

But, I do wonder what's going on with that government shutdown ๐Ÿคฆโ€โ™‚๏ธ, it affects so many people. Let's hope they get funding sorted out soon ๐Ÿ’ธ. Anyway, back to drones... it's an interesting time we're living in! ๐Ÿ˜ฌ
 
idk what's up with drones man... like, they're everywhere now ๐Ÿคฏ. i saw this vid online where some ppl are using them to "hunt" for deer or something, but it just looks like a fancy remote control to me ๐ŸŽฎ. anywayz, 12-14 million drones per year is wild... that's more than the number of people in some countries lol. do u think china's gonna sell us their tech or what? ๐Ÿค”
 
I'm thinking, it's crazy how much of a game-changer drones are becoming ๐Ÿคฏ... like, China's producing 12-14 million units per year and the US is barely scratching the surface at 4 million. We need to get our act together and invest in some serious tech if we wanna stay ahead of this threat ๐Ÿ’ป.

And I gotta say, it's awesome that Ukraine is stepping up its game with drone manufacturing ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ... if we can learn from each other on security issues, maybe we can avoid a lot of conflict down the line. The Army Secretary is on to something with the layered defense approach โ€“ we need to be proactive about this, not just reactive.

But at the same time, I'm a bit concerned about the government shutdown ๐Ÿค”... it's like, how are we supposed to prepare for these threats if we don't have the resources? Our military families deserve better than to feel like they're living in limbo. We need some real funding for veterans' affairs and construction projects ASAP ๐Ÿ’ธ.

What do you guys think? Should we be more aggressive about countering China's drone production ๐Ÿค? Or is it better to focus on building our own capabilities first? Let me know what you're thinking...
 
I'm low-key worried about the whole drone thing ๐Ÿค–๐Ÿšจ. I mean, China is churning out like 12-14 million drones per year, and we're only producing 4 million? That's a big gap โš ๏ธ. And it's not just about numbers, it's also about capabilities and technology ๐Ÿ”.

I think it's great that the Army is trying to develop its own drones and work with industry, but I'm skeptical about how quickly they can catch up ๐Ÿ•ฐ๏ธ. And what about cyber security? If we're relying on American tech companies to build these drones for us, aren't we just exposing ourselves to more vulnerabilities? ๐Ÿ˜ฌ.

And then there's the whole Ukraine thing ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ. It's great that our industry is collaborating with Ukrainian innovators, but what does this really mean in terms of security benefits? Are we just giving them tech to fight a war, and not thinking about how it'll play out in the long run? ๐Ÿค”.

We need a solid counter-drone strategy, no question ๐Ÿ”’. But I'm not sure if it's that simple ๐Ÿ˜.
 
Drones are like, totally changing the game right now ๐Ÿš๐Ÿ’จ! I mean, China's got some serious drone production going on (12-14 million units a year, wow!) and it's like, super concerning for the US. We're already behind in this space, but the Army is trying to catch up by building their own drones and partnering with private industry ๐Ÿ’ป.

But here's the thing, we can't just sit back and wait for China to make all the moves. We need a layered defense approach and some serious funding for our military families ๐Ÿค. And let's not forget about Ukraine - they're doing some amazing stuff with drone tech, and it's awesome that US industry is working with them to develop counter-drone solutions ๐ŸŒŸ.

I think this whole thing is a bit of a wake-up call for us. We need to step up our game and invest in some serious tech if we want to stay ahead of the curve ๐Ÿ”ฅ. And can we please, please get some more funding for veterans' affairs? Our troops deserve the best support possible ๐Ÿ’•.
 
Drones are like mirrors held up to our societies... they reflect our reliance on technology & our increasing vulnerability as a global community ๐Ÿค–๐Ÿ’ป. The fact that China's producing 12-14 million drones per year is staggering... it's like the world has gone mad chasing after this tech. Meanwhile, we're still playing catch-up with the US Army trying to develop its own drone capabilities. But here's the thing - what does it say about us as a nation when our security posture relies on manufacturing more drones rather than investing in diplomacy & cooperation? ๐Ÿค”๐Ÿ’ธ It's time for us to rethink our approach, not just because of China's production capacity, but also because we're creating an arms race that benefits no one. We need to focus on understanding the human cost of this drone war, not just the tech specs...
 
Drones are getting outta control ๐Ÿš€๐Ÿค–! Like, China is producing 12-14 million units per year? That's insane! The US can't keep up with that pace. We need to step up our game and invest in some serious tech ๐Ÿ’ป. I'm glad the Army is taking this seriously, but it's not just about building more drones, we need to understand how they're being used on the ground ๐Ÿ“. Like, Ukraine has been using them so effectively against Russia? We should be learning from that ๐Ÿค. Can't wait to see what kind of solutions American industry comes up with ๐Ÿ’ธ!
 
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