The US Marine Corps (USMC) is turning to its own ranks for the next wave of drone and artificial intelligence (AI) innovation, seeking troops with expertise in those areas to shape how the service fights in the future.
Through its Fiscal Year 2026 fellowship program, the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL) will bring selected Marines and Sailors to Quantico, Virginia, for up to six months to support experimentation, tech development, and wargaming.
The program was announced in MARADMIN 037/26, released by Lt. Gen. Eric E. Austin, Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration.
The fellowship is open to active-duty Corporals, Gunnery Sergeants, 2nd Lieutenants, and Captains, who will serve on temporary duty orders funded by the lab.
Those with extensive experience in small unmanned aerial systems are specifically sought, alongside Marines with degrees or certifications in AI, data science, or weapons robotics/controls engineering.
Marines outside these specialties may still apply if they demonstrate comparable expertise and meet professional military education requirements.
From Lab Support to Warfighting Insight
MCWL plays a key role in developing threat-informed operating concepts and evaluating how emerging technologies fit into future force design.
Fellows leverage their operational experience and technical skills to test new capabilities, refine tactics, and provide recommendations that inform senior leadership.
Assignments span the lab’s Experiments, Science and Technology, and Modeling & Simulations divisions, covering roles from network administration to tactical air defense and reconnaissance.
The effort aligns with the Pentagon’s push for “drone dominance,” as the Corps expands first-person-view drone capabilities, fields thousands of small drones, and explores 3D-printed drones.
