Is the US banning drones from China until it can make better ones itself?

As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, it confronts a new world order dominated by its relationship with China.

In this wide-ranging series, we examine the pressure points and possibilities in those ties, from hard tech to soft power. Here, Khushboo Razdan separates the signals from the noise in the US debate over drones.

Whether responding to a wildfire or searching for a missing person, Battalion Chief William Marsiglio of Chesterfield, Virginia, relies on one tool...