INSIGHT 2026: Drone support dominates annual publication

INSIGHT 2026: Drone support dominates annual publication

By Thomas Perry DCMA Public Affairs

Defense Contract Management Agency's 2026 INSIGHT magazine celebrates the organization's civil servants and military service members who manage more than 300,000 contracts valued in excess of $11 trillion to support War Department mission priorities and America's warfighters.

In the publication's opening article, Vice Adm. Stephen Tedford, agency director, highlighted his team's ability to deliver essential aircraft, vehicles, weapons and equipment, while authorizing more than $1 billion in contractor payments each business day.

It is a critical mission that relies on acquisition expertise, dedication to a service-before-self mindset and deep knowledge of the defense industrial base, but, as recent global engagements demonstrate a shifting battlefield dynamic reliant on new technologies and rapid adaptation, Tedford and his team are embracing and accelerating change.

"We're at a pivotal moment in history, as exponential advancements in technology inject uncertainty and new challenges into our nation's defense," said Tedford, the former program executive officer for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons at Naval Air Systems Command. "Threats are increasing and shifting as never before, and our military capabilities must constantly transform to maintain decisive advantage. Defense acquisition needs to keep pace, through reform and by providing instant, actionable production and supply chain information to decision makers at all levels. DCMA's unparalleled knowledge of the defense industrial base - enabled by proximity, maximized with technology and powered by our experienced acquisition professionals - allows us to provide real-time delivery, programmatic and contractor health data on demand. This information feeds decision making across the War Department and has become an indispensable part of operational planning and execution."

Executing DCMA's role in the department's joint mission to achieve drone dominance on the battlefield reflects a key pillar of the organization's forward thinking. The agency recently established DCMA Special Programs Unmanned Systems, known as US-X for "Unmanned Systems - Experimental." A key initiative for US-X is the DCMA Blue List, which offers warfighters safe, fast and flexible options for drone procurement and transforms a fragmented market into a trusted pipeline.

"Our war machine needs to be able to deliver punch, after punch, after punch," said Sonya Ebright, DCMA deputy director, "and US-X will look even further ahead, helping explore how battlefield manufacturing can fuel the speed and scale of putting drones into the fight."

Michael Duffey, undersecretary of war for acquisition and sustainment, echoed this sentiment during a December 2025 change of leadership ceremony, which welcomed Tedford to the contracting agency.
"This is just the beginning," Duffey said. "Drones and other unmanned systems are driving a renaissance in precision technology. With DCMA's help, we'll look even further ahead, helping explore how battlefield manufacturing can fuel the speed and scale of fielding and sustaining equipment."

In addition to examining this critical, tech-driven mission, INSIGHT features organizational, delivery and cost-saving statistics, along with articles that explore the agency's contribution to space exploration, acquisition reform, combat support, international contracting and much more.

Click here to launch INSIGHT 2026.