An Army explosive safety specialist warned in a memo that the Pentagon’s rush to counter drone threats may be outpacing basic safety controls.
WASHINGTON — An Army explosive safety specialist warned in a March memorandum that the Pentagon’s accelerating effort to field and counter drones may be moving faster than basic explosive-safety protections, according to a memo obtained by CBS News.
The warning appeared in a safety memo describing an incident at the Army’s Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana, where a small explosive device attached to a mini-drone detonated inside a building and injured an Army Special Forces soldier.
The concern comes as the military is trying to adapt quickly to a battlefield reshaped by low-cost drones, especially after their widespread use in the Russia-Ukraine war. Earlier this year, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth created Joint Interagency Task Force 401 to speed the Pentagon’s drone production capabilities. The Pentagon also asked industry late last year about its ability and willingness to produce roughly 300,000 drones, following an executive order by President Trump calling for more unmanned aircraft systems.
The memo was written by a civilian Army employee with more than 20 years of experience in uniform and as a civilian employee evaluating and monitoring safety in the service. It was sent from the command safety office at Fort Polk to the safety director at U.S. Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
In the memo, the specialist acknowledged Special Forces units’ ability to improvise tactical solutions, but warned that the broader Defense Department push to address unmanned aerial threats risked eroding established standards. The memo said the department was in “such a rush” to address drone threats that “basic explosive safety principles are being ignored,” increasing the risk of mishaps or accidents.
Army Col. Allie Scott of U.S. Army Special Operations Command told CBS News that the comments from the safety investigator appeared to be his opinion and not based in fact. Scott confirmed the authenticity of the memo and safety research and said the soldier returned to duty shortly after the blast.
The soldier, assigned to the Army’s 3rd Special Forces Group, was troubleshooting the device and trying to disconnect it when it detonated, CBS reported. The injuries were described as minor and included lacerations to the arm and face and a concussion.
The investigator wrote that the detonation may have been caused by static electrical charge or electromagnetic radiation hazards to ordnance, possibly linked to an improperly secured relay switch that allowed current to pass through the drone’s carbon fiber frame.
The device involved was an XM183 “MiniBlast” pyrotechnic cartridge made by Houston-based PR Tactical Corporation, which produces pyrotechnic explosives for U.S. military training exercises. Fred Laughlin of PR Tactical told CBS News the company would not comment before seeing the full report.
The memo said the cartridge had been assessed as a medium-level hazard risk because it can produce dangerous fragments or shrapnel and can accidentally ignite or detonate. It also noted that the Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command had not provided a “full material release,” the formal Army determination that material is safe for approved use, operationally suitable and sustainable through logistics channels.
The Army’s Combat Readiness Center at Fort Novosel, Alabama, told CBS News it did not receive a request to investigate the incident because an Army center investigation requires a threshold involving equipment damage, permanent injury or death. The broader question raised by the memo — whether drone innovation is being matched by adequate safety review — remains unresolved.
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