{"id":48791,"date":"2026-03-06T22:31:48","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T22:31:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2026\/03\/06\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T17:15:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T17:15:41","slug":"pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/03\/06\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon acknowledges tough quest to counter Iranian drones"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump administration officials conceded during a private briefing on Capitol Hill this week that Iran\u2019s Shahed-136 drone is proving more disruptive on the battlefield than the Pentagon had anticipated, two people familiar with the matter told Military Times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine led the group of senior military leaders who warned lawmakers that gaps in counter-drone technology could leave U.S. forces and assets increasingly vulnerable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey were ill-prepared,\u201d one person inside the briefing said, referring to U.S. defense plans in the Middle East. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has launched thousands of one-way drones toward U.S. military bases and diplomatic sites across the region since the start of the war, according to the Department of Defense. While American forces and their allies have thwarted most of the onslaught \u2013 largely with the Patriot missile system \u2013 some projectiles have still managed to reach their targets. <\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2026\/03\/06\/race-of-attrition-us-militarys-finite-interceptor-stockpile-is-being-tested\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/190206-A-IA862-162C.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">\u2018Race of attrition\u2019: US military\u2019s finite interceptor stockpile is being tested<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Iran&#039;s barrage of ballistic missiles and suicide drones threaten to deplete the U.S. military&#039;s finite number of interceptor missiles, experts warn.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One drone that penetrated air defenses at a U.S. installation in Kuwait on Sunday <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2026\/03\/05\/pentagon-names-5th-soldier-killed-by-iran-drone-strike-6th-is-believed-to-be-idd\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2026\/03\/05\/pentagon-names-5th-soldier-killed-by-iran-drone-strike-6th-is-believed-to-be-idd\/\">killed at least six American service members<\/a> and wounded several others. The Iranian drone barrage has also expanded to 12 other countries in the region, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CENTCOM\/status\/2029960748542071300?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CENTCOM\/status\/2029960748542071300?s=20\">CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said,<\/a> adding that on Thursday the Islamic Republic fired seven attack drones at civilian residential neighborhoods in Bahrain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Shahed-136 is a triangle-shaped munition approximately 11 feet long. It carries an explosive warhead in its nose that detonates on impact. The drones can be assembled from relatively simple components and volleyed from the back of a truck, allowing operators to conceal and disperse launch sites. Shaheds cost between $20,000 and $50,000 apiece \u2013 a fraction of the price of the American missiles needed to shoot them down. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIran knows it can\u2019t match the U.S. or Gulf states plane for plane or missile for missile, but it can change the economics of the conflict,\u201d Patrycja Bazylczyk, an associate director with the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., said in an interview with Military Times. \u201cDrones let Iran punch above its weight, keep its adversaries off balance, and project power across the region at minimal cost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe can\u2019t just play whack-a-mole in the sky,\u201d Bazylczyk continued. \u201cShooting drones down one by one is the most expensive way to fight the cheapest threat. We have to go after the roots \u2013 the launch sites, the production lines, and the storage depots.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Pentagon has surged aircraft carriers and fighter jets to the region \u2013 its largest agglomeration of air and naval power in the Middle East in decades \u2013 but intercepting swarms of low-cost drones is rapidly draining U.S. missile stockpiles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. has turned to Ukraine for assistance in countering the drones, the country\u2019s President Volodymyr <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ZelenskyyUa\/status\/2029611753898742262?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ZelenskyyUa\/status\/2029611753898742262?s=20\">Zelenskyy announced Thursday.<\/a> Drone warfare has become a fixture during the four-year war sparked by Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine. The Kremlin began deploying the Iranian-designed drone in 2022 and has since launched thousands against Ukraine. Engineers in Kyiv have developed a range of anti-drone laser systems, some of which cost as little as $1,000. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe received a request from the United States for specific support in protection against \u2018shaheds\u2019 in the Middle East region,\u201d Zelenskyy wrote in a post on X. \u201cI gave instructions to provide the necessary means and ensure the presence of Ukrainian specialists who can guarantee the required security.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a statement to Military Times, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly insisted, \u201cThe Iranian regime is being absolutely crushed.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTheir ballistic missile retaliation is decreasing every day, their navy is being wiped out, their production capacity is being demolished, and proxies are hardly putting up a fight,\u201d Kelly claimed. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pete Hegseth and other military leaders warned lawmakers that gaps in counter-drone technology could leave U.S. forces and assets increasingly vulnerable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":111465,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":47,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[160,11,47,36],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3488],"class_list":["post-48791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-global","category-mideast-africa","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"DWB6NITFQNG2FHFK6PQKG5QRHE","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2026\/03\/06\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Pentagon acknowledges tough quest to counter Iranian drones - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Pete Hegseth and other military leaders warned lawmakers that gaps in counter-drone technology could leave U.S. forces and assets increasingly vulnerable.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2026\/03\/06\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pentagon acknowledges tough quest to counter Iranian drones\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pete Hegseth and other military leaders warned lawmakers that gaps in counter-drone technology could leave U.S. forces and assets increasingly vulnerable.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/03\/06\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-06T22:31:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T17:15:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tanya Noury\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tanya Noury\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/mideast-africa\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/06\\\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/mideast-africa\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/06\\\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Pentagon acknowledges tough quest to counter Iranian drones\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2026-03-06T22:31:48+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T17:15:41+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/mideast-africa\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/06\\\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 624,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/mideast-africa\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/06\\\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-2260558350.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Global\",\n\t                \"Mideast Africa\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/mideast-africa\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/06\\\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/mideast-africa\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/06\\\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/mideast-africa\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/06\\\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Pentagon acknowledges tough quest to counter Iranian drones - Defense News\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/mideast-africa\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/06\\\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/mideast-africa\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/06\\\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-2260558350.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2026-03-06T22:31:48+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T17:15:41+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Pete Hegseth and other military leaders warned lawmakers that gaps in counter-drone technology could leave U.S. forces and assets increasingly vulnerable.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/mideast-africa\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/06\\\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/mideast-africa\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/06\\\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/mideast-africa\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/06\\\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-2260558350.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/GettyImages-2260558350.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/mideast-africa\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/06\\\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Mideast Africa\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/global\\\/mideast-africa\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"mideast-africa\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Pentagon acknowledges tough quest to counter Iranian drones\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Defense News\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Pentagon acknowledges tough quest to counter Iranian drones - Defense News","description":"Pete Hegseth and other military leaders warned lawmakers that gaps in counter-drone technology could leave U.S. forces and assets increasingly vulnerable.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2026\/03\/06\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Pentagon acknowledges tough quest to counter Iranian drones","og_description":"Pete Hegseth and other military leaders warned lawmakers that gaps in counter-drone technology could leave U.S. forces and assets increasingly vulnerable.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/03\/06\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\/","og_site_name":"Defense News","article_published_time":"2026-03-06T22:31:48+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T17:15:41+00:00","author":"Tanya Noury","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Tanya Noury","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/03\/06\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/03\/06\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Pentagon acknowledges tough quest to counter Iranian drones","datePublished":"2026-03-06T22:31:48+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T17:15:41+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/03\/06\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\/"},"wordCount":624,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/03\/06\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2260558350.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Global","Mideast Africa","Newsletters"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/03\/06\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/03\/06\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/03\/06\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\/","name":"Pentagon acknowledges tough quest to counter Iranian drones - Defense News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/03\/06\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/03\/06\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2260558350.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-06T22:31:48+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T17:15:41+00:00","description":"Pete Hegseth and other military leaders warned lawmakers that gaps in counter-drone technology could leave U.S. forces and assets increasingly vulnerable.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/03\/06\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/03\/06\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/03\/06\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2260558350.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2260558350.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/2026\/03\/06\/pentagon-acknowledges-tough-quest-to-counter-iranian-drones\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Mideast Africa","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/mideast-africa\/","ad_zone":"mideast-africa"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Pentagon acknowledges tough quest to counter Iranian drones"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","name":"Defense News","description":"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization","name":"Defense News","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","caption":"Defense News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2260558350.jpg.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Defense News","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48791"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48791\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80728,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48791\/revisions\/80728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48791"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=48791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}