--- title: "Congress wants to screen drone operators for PTSD, depression" description: "The new NDAA calls for a study on how working with drones impacts crews' mental health, including watching lethal strikes." date: "2025-12-14" modified: "2025-12-14" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/military-life/ndaa-drone-operators-mental-health/" categories: - "Aircraft" - "Drones" - "Tech & Tactics" tags: - "adsafety" --- # Congress wants to screen drone operators for PTSD, depression ![Air National Guard airmen from the 119th Maintenance Squadron prepares an MQ-9 Reaper Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for flight during the Northern Strike 2025 exercise at the Alpena, Mich. Combat Regional Training Center, August 2-16, 2025. Northern Strike is one of the Department of Defense’s largest reserve component readiness exercises, is taking place now across Michigan. (U.S. Air National Guard Photo by Sr. Master Sgt. Michael Knodle)]() *Members of 119th Maintenance Squadron work on an MQ-9 Reaper drone during the Northern Strike 2025 exercise. Air National Guard Photo by Sr. Master Sgt. Michael Knodle.* Congress wants the Department of Defense to study psychological effects of working with uncrewed weapons. Nestled inside the large National Defense Authorization Act currently making its way through the legislature is a section calling for a “comprehensive study” on how working with uncrewed aerial systems impacts troops’ mental health. The defense bill, which passed the House and is awaiting a vote in the Senate, covers everything from pay increases to [upgrading an award]() to the Medal of Honor. Section 737 of this year’s [NDAA]() calls for an “assessment of the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, burnout, moral injury, and other mental health conditions” among troops who either directly operate UAS, better known as drones, as well as indirectly deal with them. [Defense Scoop]() first reported on the measure in the NDAA calling for the study. The move comes as the United States military is rapidly expanding its arsenal of uncrewed systems and working to quickly integrate them into troops’ day-to-day operations and combat tactics. The Army is working to buy one million drones, and a [memo]() from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from earlier this year emphasized the importance of drones, particularly smaller ones often deployed in swarms. The expansion is not limited to the Army, as efforts across the armed forces are underway to quickly adapt the prevalence of drones. The new rule would screen not just drone pilots themselves but also people who analyze footage from drones or work in targeting and personnel “deployed in non-combat roles,” such as maintainers. Per Congress, the study would also look at elements “unique” to the use of drones, such as sleep disruptions and witnessing lethal strikes remotely, including civilian casualties. Additionally it asks for a review of existing mental health programs already available to military personnel, specifically to see if they are “appropriately tailored” to the unique nature of drone operators. The Pentagon has put more resources and efforts into addressing mental health, such as relatively [new evaluations]() for troops as they transition out of active-duty service. As experts told Defense Scoop, the study is likely to focus on the use of larger drones, such as the MQ-9 Reaper, that have been widely used during the Global War on Terror than on cheaper, first-person view drones that have become prevalent in Ukraine. The U.S. military’s experience with the latter is deeply limited compared to the former. Per the NDAA text, an unclassified report on the study’s findings is due a year after the bill is enacted, including a list of recommendations on how to improve both screenings for mental health impacts on drone operators and treatment for any issues. ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]()