Perhaps nothing epitomized the radical changes impacting modern warfare than 26 idled Abrams M1A1 battle tanks. The U.S. sent Ukraine 31 of the coveted tanks in late 2023. By April 2024, five had been destroyed and the others banned from the front lines. Russia’s shift to constant surveillance and plentiful cheap bomb-carrying drones, many supplied by Iran, had dramatically shortened the time it took to spot, strike, and destroy targets.
In response, Ukraine developed its own superior drones and revolutionized their usage, fixating this fundamental shift in how modern militaries must plan, move and fight.
Recently, Ukrainian drone operators embarrassed U.S. Army troops when they faced off in military exercises. “The drubbing in Germany conveyed lessons from Ukraine focused on short-range battlefield drones,” according to an excerpt published in Jackson Jambalaya. “The exercise, held in April and May, tested visiting troops’ ability to operate and defend against the proliferation of smaller, front-line drones.”
Another Ukraine innovation revolutionized drone battlefield management. Called “Delta,” the software “pulls streams of battlefield intelligence, including drone video feeds, radio intercepts and satellite images, into a single platform that helps detect targets in real time,” the New York Times reported.
Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll, called the software “absolutely incredible,” noting U.S. forces were having to play catchup. He wanted to transform his service into a modern, tech-oriented force.
But Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth made that almost impossible, reported Politico. As a result, late last month Driscoll resigned suddenly. In so doing, he warned President Trump that Hegseth was undermining the Army’s readiness for modern war.
A month earlier Hegseth had forced Gen. Christopher T. Donahue, the Army’s expert on Ukrainian drone warfare, to retire early. Donahue had set up the 600-man Unmanned Assault Battalion specialized unit in Europe to train U.S. troops on Ukraine’s systems. Hegseth is disbanding the unit.
Senators and congressmen from both parties have expressed grave concerns over Hegseth’s actions, including House Armed Services chair Mike Rogers, Senate Armed Services ranking member Jack Reed, and Senate Appropriations chair Susan Collins.
The drone fiasco fits in with other “changes” Hegseth has made. At least 20 top military and civilian leaders have been fired or forced out, including the highest-ranking, Senate-confirmed officers in the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
Retired Army Major-General Paul Eaton compared the removals to Stalin’s bloody purge of Red Army generals before WWII. Retired Major Gen. Randy Manner (USNG) said, “The Secretary of Defense is a clear and present danger to the national security of the United States and the world.”
You have to wonder why Senate Armed Services chair Roger Wicker has been quiet on all this.
"Do what is just and right" – Jeremiah 22:3
Bill Crawford is an author and syndicated columnist from Jackson.
