Staff report

Bloomington, Ind. – October 1, 2026

Indiana’s congressional delegation is urging the Army to designate Camp Atterbury and the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center as “Premier Test Ranges,” expanding their role in testing drones and other military technologies.

The request came Wednesday, the same day Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a 20% reduction in the number of general and admiral positions across the military and a new command focused on autonomous and robotic warfare. The developments point to a broader Pentagon push to reorganize military leadership while accelerating the development and use of drone technology, according to the Associated Press.

U.S. Sens. Todd Young and Jim Banks, along with Indiana’s House delegation, sent the request in a letter to Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle. The lawmakers say the two Indiana facilities could help the Army connect commercial defense technology with realistic conditions for testing it.

The letter describes Muscatatuck as an urban training environment for testing small drones, counter-drone systems and electronic warfare. Camp Atterbury offers ranges, maneuver space, aviation assets and restricted airspace. The lawmakers say designating the sites would add capacity as companies seek more opportunities to test technology for the Army. The Army has not announced a decision on the request. 

The delegation’s letter says Camp Atterbury has already hosted tests of LUCAS drones, which were later deployed by U.S. Central Command. It cites CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper’s earlier remarks that training at Atterbury helped produce a capability used against an adversary. The proposed designation would formalize and potentially expand that testing role; it would not itself authorize a new weapons program or deployment.

Hegseth’s announcement adds national significance to the request. Alongside the planned cuts to senior-officer positions, he announced a new four-star Autonomous Warfare Command to develop and field autonomous and robotic systems. The changes frame drone and other autonomous technology as a growing military priority even as the Pentagon plans to reduce the number of top leadership roles, according to AP.

For Indiana, the designation could bring more military and commercial testing activity to the two sites and strengthen their role in defense research and training. The letter says the facilities are ready to take on the work without major baseline infrastructure investment, but it does not specify how much additional activity, funding or employment the designation would produce.

The delegation includes Republicans and Democrats: Young and Banks, and U.S. Reps. Frank Mrvan, Rudy Yakym, Marlin Stutzman, Jim Baird, Jefferson Shreve, André Carson, Mark Messmer and Erin Houchin. The request is now before the Army.