Zita Ballinger Fletcher is a reporter who covers drones and defense technology. She has covered the Pentagon’s integration of autonomous systems into U.S. military forces and emerging approaches to counter-drone warfare for Military Times and Defense News. She is the author of war history books published by Pen & Sword Military and is fluent in German. She served previously as the editor of Vietnam and Military History Quarterly magazines and as the historian of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. She earned her B.A. in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, magna cum laude, from the University of South Florida Judy Genshaft Honors College and holds an M.A. with Distinction in Military History from the University of Birmingham in England. She was awarded the 2026 USF Outstanding Young Alumni Award recognizing exceptional career achievement and innovation. Follow Fletcher for detailed coverage and analysis of unmanned systems changing the modern defense landscape.