Daniel Driscoll: New Army Secretary and ATF Speculation

Okay, so the Army wants a million drones. A MILLION. Did I read that right? Apparently, U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll went on "Face the Nation" and dropped that little nugget, along with a bunch of other stuff that sounds like a fever dream. See the Full transcript of "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Nov. 16, 2025 - CBS News for the full interview.

The Drone Apocalypse is Nigh

Driscoll's talking about reactivating the jungle school in Panama because... Venezuela? I mean, seriously? Is this about to be another one of those "nation-building" exercises that always end in a giant, taxpayer-funded facepalm? And the Army's in charge of the counter-drone threat now? So, they're gonna fight drones with... more drones? That's like fighting fire with gasoline.

He says these drones are "flying IEDs," cheap and easy to make. Okay, fair point. But the solution isn't to flood the market with even MORE drones. It’s like they are actively trying to create a Skynet situation. What could possibly go wrong?

And then there's this "SkyFoundry" thing they're working on with Congress. Sounds ominous. I'm picturing some giant, government-run drone factory churning out these things 24/7. Are we sure this isn't some backdoor way for the military-industrial complex to get even richer? Rhetorical question, offcourse.

Partnering with... Everyone?

The Army's partnering with federal law enforcement, the Sheriff's Association, the NYPD... Are they turning the entire country into a surveillance state? I mean, NFL games? The Olympics? The World Cup? So, now every sporting event is gonna have a swarm of drones buzzing overhead, watching our every move? Great. Just what we needed.

And get this: they’re gonna "empower the private sector" to buy parts from them. So, Joe Schmoe can stroll down to his local Army Surplus store and pick up some sensors, brushless motors, and circuit boards? What could possibly go wrong there? Oh wait, I already asked that.

Driscoll also mentioned that Ukraine is manufacturing four million drones a year, and China is at 12 to 14 million. So, the answer is to compete with them? Is that it? A drone arms race? I'm starting to think the Pentagon's just throwing darts at a board to decide policy at this point.

Margaret Brennan pointed out that Driscoll was actually taking questions, which is apparently unusual for the Pentagon. She acted like it was some big win for transparency. Let's be real: they're probably just trying to spin this whole thing before it blows up in their faces.

The Shutdown Fallout

Driscoll says the government shutdown is gonna set things back months. Months! So, we're supposed to feel sorry for them because they can't play with their new drone toys fast enough? Give me a break.

He's also claiming the Army is "welcoming in American industry" to innovate on drones. That sounds nice and all, but it also sounds like a giant loophole for defense contractors to rake in even more cash. I wonder how much lobbying went on behind the scenes to make this happen.

What really gets me is the sheer scale of this thing. A million drones. It's not just about national security anymore; it's about control, surveillance, and lining the pockets of the military-industrial complex. Then again, maybe I'm the crazy one here.

This Ain't Progress, It's a Goddamn Mess

Look, I'm not saying drones are inherently evil. But the Army wanting a million of them, partnering with every law enforcement agency under the sun, and opening up the parts market to the private sector? That's not a recipe for safety; it's a recipe for disaster.