AUVSI’s Michael Robbins on Why Regional Autonomy Hubs Are Critical to U.S. Drone Leadership

U.S. policy and funding now send an unmistakable signal: domestic drone and autonomous systems development is a national priority. But translating that momentum into lasting leadership will require more than federal directives and prototype programs. In this guest post, AUVSI President and CEO Michael Robbins argues that investing in regional autonomy hubs is the critical next step to scaling innovation, workforce development, and manufacturing across America. DRONELIFE does not accept or receive payment for guest posts.

Investing in Regional Hubs Will Fuel American Drone Dominance

By AUVSI President and CEO Michael Robbins 

America will lead the way in autonomy and robotics. In 2025, executive orders laid the groundwork for American Drone Dominance, elevating domestic drone production and supply-chain security to national priorities. The Department of War accelerated acquisition reform through initiatives including “prototype gauntlets,” designed to rapidly identify, test, and field uncrewed systems at operational speed and scale. Congress reinforced this momentum through dedicated autonomous system acquisition funding in H.R.1 and the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act, advancing provisions to expand domestic manufacturing, modernize counter-drone authorities, and strengthen the U.S. industrial base.

For the first time, the domestic drone industry has a clear demand signal paired with a coherent policy framework to support growth at scale. Winning the next chapter of drone innovation now depends on execution. That means investing in regional autonomy hubs that move innovation out of the lab and into real-world operations, where systems can be tested, produced, and deployed at the pace national security and commercial markets demand.

The development of autonomous systems will not be confined to coastal tech centers. The regions best positioned to lead America’s robotics resurgence are those that once powered our industrial economy and are now building new capability clusters across sectors. Across the country, places like Tulsa, Oklahoma, Central Ohio, and my hometown of Detroit, Michigan offer a combination of open airspace, aligned workforce pipelines, and deep manufacturing expertise capable of driving the next era of mobility. Organizations like Tulsa Innovation Labs and JobsOhio are helping coordinate public-private coalitions that allow these regional ecosystems to respond to demand and scale effectively as markets grow.

To translate policy and investment into tangible results, and stay ahead of China and other strategic adversaries, the United States should align its regional autonomy hubs around three core priorities.

First, we must continue expanding testing environments to allow autonomous systems to be developed, validated, and iterated in real-world conditions. Regions with access to flexible airspace and strong local partnerships are enabling faster, safer testing that mirrors operational use cases. Oklahoma has collaborated with the Osage Nation to support unmanned systems testing at meaningful scale, and the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Ohio UAS Center have tested how autonomous systems can support traffic monitoring and incident management. These kinds of testing corridors are essential to moving autonomy from concept to deployment.

Second, we must train the workforce of the future. Sustained leadership in autonomy requires fluency in software, autonomy, advanced manufacturing, maintenance, and aeronautics. Several states are demonstrating how early exposure can translate into durable career pathways by aligning K–12 education, higher education, and industry-driven training.

Michigan has prioritized workforce development for advanced aerial mobility by coordinating programs across its education system to prepare technicians, operators, and engineers for emerging roles. In Tulsa, the Tech Hubs Training & Talent Program and Pathways to Autonomy aim to create jobs and align academic curricula with industry needs to build a pipeline for careers in robotics and autonomous systems.

Finally, we must activate America’s manufacturing base to move beyond prototypes and small-scale manufacturing and scale production. Distributed manufacturing capacity is essential for strengthening supply chains and meeting growing demand. Ohio has attracted major aerospace and autonomous manufacturing investments, including Anduril Industries’ $900 million commitment to establish a large-scale drone manufacturing facility in Central Ohio.

Building on its own manufacturing legacy, Tulsa is developing the Tulsa Advanced Research and Manufacturing Acceleration Center in partnership with Cherokee Federal to help onshore critical components and reduce production bottlenecks for both large and small firms. These efforts reflect a broader national shift toward scalable, resilient manufacturing for autonomous systems.

America’s continued leadership in robotics and autonomous systems will be determined by our capacity to execute at scale. Regional autonomy hubs are where national priorities meet real-world conditions; where systems are tested, talent is trained, and manufacturing moves from prototype to production. Investing in these distributed ecosystems accelerates innovation, strengthens supply-chain resilience, and helps reindustrialize communities that have lost manufacturing capacity over decades. This networked, region-driven approach is how the United States secures long-term global leadership in robotics and autonomous systems.

Michael Robbins is President and CEO at AUVSI, the world’s largest organization representing autonomous systems, drones, and robotics in the commercial and defense sectors. With a background in government, military, and industry sectors, Robbins brings extensive experience in advocacy, communications, and strategic leadership. He currently serves as an Officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve and holds key roles on influential advisory boards, Michael serves on the MITRE Corporation’s Aviation Advisory Committee and the National Advanced Mobility Consortium’s (NAMC) Advisory Committee. He recently served as co-chair of the Federal Aviation Administration’s UAS Detection and Mitigation Aviation Rulemaking Committee. He previously served on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Aviation Supply Chain Risk Task Force, the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency’s Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council sUAS Security Working Group, and on the boards of NAMC and the Greater Washington Aviation Open.