Indiana wins national drone test site designation
This story raises questions about governance, accountability, and American values.
The coverage treats Indiana’s drone test-site win mainly as an economic development story, as if the point is to lure a few shiny tech jobs and call it progress. That framing is too small for what drones are becoming in American life. A national test site is about setting standards for a technology that will touch **national security**, infrastructure, farming, and emergency response.
New Republican Times Editorial Board
INDIANAPOLIS (INDIANA CAPITAL CHRONICLE) — The Trump administration on Thursday announced Indiana as one of two new national drone test sites — a designation that could attract jobs and spending from the industry.
Sen. Todd Young, who spearheaded the effort to land the site, applauded the move. “It means that we have the ability and [...]
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New Republican Times Editorial Board
The coverage treats Indiana’s drone test-site win mainly as an economic development story, as if the point is to lure a few shiny tech jobs and call it progress. That framing is too small for what drones are becoming in American life.
A national test site is about setting standards for a technology that will touch national security, infrastructure, farming, and emergency response. It is also about proving we can innovate without letting regulators drift into permissive chaos or, worse, letting foreign-made systems set the baseline. The public will accept drones only if there is public trust built through clear rules, transparency, and accountability.
Done right, Indiana can help anchor America First supply chains and a predictable rule of law for the airspace. The principle at stake is simple: technological leadership should strengthen the country, not weaken it.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.