William Lawson
Ukrainian operations have revealed the ubiquitous nature of cheap drones and their effectiveness in modern warfare.
United States military representatives recently welcomed a delegation from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and the National Security and Defense Council to discuss a long-term deal for procuring Ukrainian battlefield drone systems. Specifically, the Ukrainian delegation presented system capabilities, procurement possibilities, and integration into American structures and operations.
The American delegation included representatives from each branch of the armed services. They looked at specific drone models, their operational capabilities and effectiveness, and potential battlefield applications. Ukrainian systems support for US military needs was also discussed.
America Is Playing Catch-Up on Drones
The meeting comes as the United States rushes to address its deficiencies in drone warfare and counter-drone defensive systems. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth last summer announced a major initiative to address those deficiencies in a memorandum titled “Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance,” which was based on President Donald Trump’s executive order of the same name.
The memorandum emphasizes a far-reaching approach, involving private industry as well as allied nations, to jump-start American drone capabilities for the modern battle space. Ukraine has necessarily become one of the world’s leading experts on drone warfare as it combats the ongoing Russian invasion. US drone initiatives are in progress, but outsourcing to Ukraine for proven systems, as well as the doctrine and operational expertise for their use, makes sense.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense described the meeting as a preparatory step toward a broader deal. That broader proposed deal would be for the United States to purchase Ukrainian-built drones while implementing joint production of some models. Dubbed the “Drone Deal” by Ukraine, the agreement would span five years. Initial plans go beyond procurement and deployment and envision technical cooperation, integrating Ukrainian technology into American and allied systems and establishing production scales to meet changing operational requirements.
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