Britain’s armed forces face a strategic question as drones transform modern warfare: is investment in new technology enough, or does the military need to change the way it is organised to fight?
Al Carns, Labour MP for Birmingham Selly Oak and a former Royal Marines colonel who served as veterans and people minister until earlier this year, has challenged the government to explain how Britain intends to keep pace with allies establishing dedicated structures for unmanned warfare.
“Drones are changing the way we fight. How are we changing the structures as to how we fight?” Carns asked, pointing to the US creation of a robotic Uncrewed Systems Combatant Command, Germany’s uncrewed regiment and Ukraine’s dedicated unmanned systems force.
“What projects are we moving forward to really revolutionise this, into the Army, Navy and Air Force?” the former Special Forces Colonel asked.
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His intervention highlights a growing divide between the rapid evolution of drone warfare and the institutional changes required to integrate it across military operations. While Britain is developing new uncrewed platforms, the question of whether these capabilities require a more fundamental reorganisation remains central to the debate.
Wes Streeting, the defence secretary, thanked Carns for his leadership on the issue while in government and for the advice he continues to provide. He pointed to the planned hybrid Navy and substantial investment in innovation and drone technology as part of Britain’s response.
“We have to be ready for the fight ahead,” Streeting said, arguing that preparedness would depend on the ability to out-innovate and out-produce potential adversaries while developing new systems and platforms.
Ukraine offers a prominent example of institutional change. Its Unmanned Systems Forces were established by presidential decree in 2024 as a separate branch alongside the army, air force and navy. The structure gives drone units their own command chain, procurement route and recruitment pipeline, reflecting the central role unmanned systems have assumed in the war against Russia.
Germany and the United States have also moved towards dedicated formations and commands for uncrewed capabilities, supported by their own budgets.
Britain, by contrast, has so far emphasised programmes and platforms. Its hybrid Navy plan encompasses four uncrewed classes — Type 91 missile platforms, Type 92 underwater sensing systems, Type 93 extra-large uncrewed underwater vessels and Type 94 radar platforms — alongside a future Common Combat Vessel.
The Defence Investment Plan committed at least £1.3bn to the project when the designations were announced earlier this year. However, the Ministry of Defence told parliament this month that current planning assumptions envisage a progressive introduction from the early 2030s, with no service-entry dates yet fixed.
That timetable underscores the challenge facing ministers: turning investment into operational capability while the technology and tactics of warfare continue to evolve.
The debate is no longer simply about how many drones Britain can build. It is about whether its armed forces can organise, equip and command them at the speed modern conflict demands.
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