Is the US Military Learning the Wrong Lessons About Drones?
The Pentagon is betting big on unmanned systems in a conflict with China – but the Russia-Ukraine war is showing the limited utility of such systems.
By Matthew C. Mai
December 19, 2023
Is the US Military Learning the Wrong Lessons About Drones?
The Pentagon is betting big on unmanned systems in a conflict with China – but the Russia-Ukraine war is showing the limited utility of such systems.
By Matthew C. Mai
December 19, 2023
The U.S. Department of Defense is making a big bet to counter China: that the employment of thousands of expendable unmanned systems will offset China’s numerical advantages in people, missiles, and ships.
Inspired by the extensive use of such systems in Ukraine, the Pentagon aims to field small and cheap unmanned capabilities within the next 18-24 months as part of the Replicator Initiative. While there are reasons to doubt such a byzantine organization with a long-track record of poor program management could scale up these capabilities in under two years, Replicator might fall short for another reason: The Pentagon is overestimating how decisive drones and other unmanned systems will be in future conflicts.
The war in Ukraine has been a “testbed” for new battlefield technology and operational concepts, drones foremost among them. Drones direct artillery fire, provide persistent overhead surveillance, and target armored vehicles. The Ukrainian military is dedicating significant manpower and resources to maximize their combat effectiveness: Kyiv plans to spend $1 billion to upgrade its drone capabilities and has already trained 10,000 new pilots.
https://thediplomat.com/2023/12/is-the-us-military-learning-the-wrong-lessons-about-drones/
