Selection follows bipartisan letter urging Secretary of War to choose Michigan as key training site

State Rep. William Bruck (R-Erie Township) today applauded a major federal announcement by the U.S. Army and National Guard Bureau designating Michigan’s National All-Domain Warfighting Center (NADWC) as a key training facility for advanced uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), commonly known as drones.

“This announcement is a major win for Michigan and further proof that our state is leading the way on the future of drone technology,” said Bruck.

In June 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order calling on the federal government to “Unleash American Drone Dominance.” In response to the directive, a bipartisan coalition of Michigan lawmakers sent a letter to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, urging the Department of War to designate Michigan’s NADWC as a national UAS test and training site, highlighting the location’s key capabilities and strategic advantages, including:

• Expansive Training Grounds: Nearly 148,000 acres of four-season terrain and 17,000 square miles of special use military airspace, including over Lake Huron.
• All-Domain Testing: Integrated training and testing across land, air, maritime, cyber, and space, supported by live-fire artillery, tank, and mortar ranges; air-to-air maneuvers; maritime and littoral operations; cyber defense and electronic warfare; and space-based ISR integration.
• Advanced Drone Infrastructure: A dedicated sixty-mile-long drone corridor, emerging counter-UAV technologies, and a Beyond-Visual-Line-of-Sight (BVLOS) system for autonomous drone operations, supported by a clean electromagnetic spectrum and up to 6,000 available frequencies.
• Industry and Innovation Partnerships: Including the Kelly Johnson Joint All-Domain Innovation Center and other industry, academic, and private-sector partnerships that strengthen rapid innovation and prototyping.
• Permissive, Cost-Effective Access: As a National Guard facility, NADWC provides cost-effective access for training, testing, and collaboration at a fraction of the cost and wait time of other sites nationwide.

“This designation strengthens the long-term viability of key Michigan bases and ensures our state remains a national leader in advanced training and next-generation defense capabilities,” said Bruck. “It is great news for Michigan, great news for our service members, and great news for the future of our national defense.”