Latest news with #WarontheRocks
Business Insider
26-06-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Defense companies need to 'quit trying to sell us pieces of the puzzle' and work together, says top US general
US defense firms need to "stop selling us pieces of the puzzle" and work more closely together to counter threats around areas like drones and Artificial Intelligence, a top US general said. Gen. Jim Rainey, the head of Army Futures Command, discussed emerging threats and the US military's capacity to counter them in an episode of the War on the Rocks podcast, released on Wednesday. The deployment of AI in warfare and drones are "the biggest two places we need to close the ground quickly," he said. Rainey identified technologies like microwaves, lasers, and electronic warfare as ways to counter these threats, but said weak spots remained and called for the defense industry to "self-organize" to identify solutions. "What we really need is people to quit trying to sell us pieces of the puzzle, and somebody to pull that team together with the sum of those capabilities," he said. Drones have emerged as a key weapon in the war in Ukraine, where both Russia and Ukraine have used them for surveillance and fitted them with bombs to be used as remotely-controlled explosives. China and the US are also experimenting with sophisticated AI-enabled drones that can operate independently of human control, including some that can be deployed as part of a "swarm," operating autonomously and in coordination. The Pentagon has been urgently seeking ways to combat drones, with then-US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin releasing a counter-drone strategy in December. Private sector companies, including the likes of California-based Anduril, are also rolling out new tech solutions. In his remarks, Rainey called for "a bunch of companies to come together, go find the best high-power microwave guy or two, get the best radar people," and then bring them together into an "integrated, data-centric AI-driven capability."
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The US Army is showing soldiers what they look like from the air so that they can better hide from drones
The US Army is watching the unfolding drone war in Ukraine and using it to inform its training. Army leadership is teaching new soldiers how to react to drones in the early stages of training. One way that they're doing this is using drones to film soldiers so they know how to hide better. The US Army is watching the drone war in Ukraine and thinking up innovative ways to teach new soldiers how they can survive this threat in future fights. One way the Army is preparing soldiers is by filming recruits in basic training from above and then showing them the footage to assess their ability to hide from a potential enemy. "What you learn from what's occurring in Ukraine is you cannot move without being seen," Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll said during an episode of the "War on the Rocks" podcast last month, adding that the military needs to be "leaner" and better at hiding. Driscoll said that he had recently visited South Carolina's Fort Jackson, one of four main bases where the Army does basic combat training, and saw leadership put drones in the sky to survey troops below. "These are for soldiers that have been in for seven weeks, and they are showing them, 'Hey, this is what you look like from the air. You have either done a good job providing top cover and camouflage, or you have not,'" Driscoll said. "At the end of each of their exercises, they go review the drone footage, which was just incredible to see." The exercise gives US soldiers a small taste of the battlefield in Ukraine, where troops on both sides are under the constant watchful eye of small, quadcopter drones that could suddenly turn deadly by dropping explosives below or flying into a target and detonating. Like other branches of the military, the Army recognizes the seriousness of the drone threat and acknowledges that uncrewed systems are changing warfare. It is trying to keep pace with the speed of innovation, accelerated as Ukraine and Russia race to introduce new technology and innovations onto the battlefield. With drones poised to play an increasingly significant role in future conflicts, the Army is coming to terms with how to ensure new generations of soldiers are prepared to meet the threat environment. Lt. Gen. David Francis, commanding general of the Army's Center for Initial Military Training, told Business Insider in an interview this month that one of the most "significant things" his program has done is introduce drones into basic training to train new recruits on how to react to this technology. Francis said that the idea is to get these civilians-turned-soldiers to think about the battlefield as a three-dimensional space and expose them to the new threat that they'd likely face in future combat scenarios. The Army introduced drone training at all of its training centers over 18 months ago. Beyond Fort Jackson, these sites include Fort Benning in Georgia, Fort Sill in Oklahoma, and Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. Lt. Col. Stephen Deuble, commander of 2nd Squadron, 15th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Benning, said the base has greatly scaled up its drone training after recognizing the major role they play in combat. Previously, new recruits received a brief overview on drones that lasted only a few hours; now, they receive over 50 hours of training. The extensive training "reinforces that concept that the enemy is not just in front of you, but you have to look up, and they're in the air domain," Deuble told BI. He said that drones are used at Fort Benning in a teaching role and as an after-action tool similar to what Driscoll observed at Fort Jackson. Training is sometimes designed to be complex. At Fort Benning, for instance, leadership isn't just exposing soldiers to a small drone flying in the air — they are combining it with a realistic battlefield scenario, such as simulating a precision drone strike on an armored vehicle. Watching the Ukraine war, Francis said that the Army is learning that its soldiers could be facing "constant surveillance" and the consistent threat of indirect fire from armed drones or artillery in a conflict of their own. For these reasons, he said, it's important that US troops are learning early on how to be aware and resilient on the battlefield. "Knowing that you're always being watched — it takes a toll on folks," he said. "We are increasing the rigor in our basic training right now to provide that resiliency that it's going to take to operate in an environment where you are constantly under threat." Teaching soldiers how to respond to drones is one of the many ways that the military is taking lessons learned from the Ukraine war and using them to inform training. The US has also put more attention on counter-drone efforts and using drones for offensive missions. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Insider
The US Army is showing soldiers what they look like from the air so that they can better hide from drones
The US Army is watching the drone war in Ukraine and thinking up innovative ways to teach new soldiers how they can survive this threat in future fights. One way the Army is preparing soldiers is by filming recruits in basic training from above and then showing them the footage to assess their ability to hide from a potential enemy. "What you learn from what's occurring in Ukraine is you cannot move without being seen," Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll said during an episode of the "War on the Rocks" podcast last month, adding that the military needs to be "leaner" and better at hiding. Driscoll said that he had recently visited South Carolina's Fort Jackson, one of four main bases where the Army does basic combat training, and saw leadership put drones in the sky to survey troops below. "These are for soldiers that have been in for seven weeks, and they are showing them, 'Hey, this is what you look like from the air. You have either done a good job providing top cover and camouflage, or you have not,'" Driscoll said. "At the end of each of their exercises, they go review the drone footage, which was just incredible to see." The exercise gives US soldiers a small taste of the battlefield in Ukraine, where troops on both sides are under the constant watchful eye of small, quadcopter drones that could suddenly turn deadly by dropping explosives below or flying into a target and detonating. Like other branches of the military, the Army recognizes the seriousness of the drone threat and acknowledges that uncrewed systems are changing warfare. It is trying to keep pace with the speed of innovation, accelerated as Ukraine and Russia race to introduce new technology and innovations onto the battlefield. With drones poised to play an increasingly significant role in future conflicts, the Army is coming to terms with how to ensure new generations of soldiers are prepared to meet the threat environment. Lt. Gen. David Francis, commanding general of the Army's Center for Initial Military Training, told Business Insider in an interview this month that one of the most "significant things" his program has done is introduce drones into basic training to train new recruits on how to react to this technology. Francis said that the idea is to get these civilians-turned-soldiers to think about the battlefield as a three-dimensional space and expose them to the new threat that they'd likely face in future combat scenarios. The Army introduced drone training at all of its training centers over 18 months ago. Beyond Fort Jackson, these sites include Fort Benning in Georgia, Fort Sill in Oklahoma, and Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. Lt. Col. Stephen Deuble, commander of 2nd Squadron, 15th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Benning, said the base has greatly scaled up its drone training after recognizing the major role they play in combat. Previously, new recruits received a brief overview on drones that lasted only a few hours; now, they receive over 50 hours of training. The extensive training "reinforces that concept that the enemy is not just in front of you, but you have to look up, and they're in the air domain," Deuble told BI. He said that drones are used at Fort Benning in a teaching role and as an after-action tool similar to what Driscoll observed at Fort Jackson. Training is sometimes designed to be complex. At Fort Benning, for instance, leadership isn't just exposing soldiers to a small drone flying in the air — they are combining it with a realistic battlefield scenario, such as simulating a precision drone strike on an armored vehicle. Watching the Ukraine war, Francis said that the Army is learning that its soldiers could be facing "constant surveillance" and the consistent threat of indirect fire from armed drones or artillery in a conflict of their own. For these reasons, he said, it's important that US troops are learning early on how to be aware and resilient on the battlefield. "Knowing that you're always being watched — it takes a toll on folks," he said. "We are increasing the rigor in our basic training right now to provide that resiliency that it's going to take to operate in an environment where you are constantly under threat." Teaching soldiers how to respond to drones is one of the many ways that the military is taking lessons learned from the Ukraine war and using them to inform training. The US has also put more attention on counter-drone efforts and using drones for offensive missions.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Army secretary says US can't keep pumping money into expensive weapons that can be taken out by an $800 Russian drone
Cheap drones have been used to destroy expensive systems like tanks in the Ukraine war. US military leaders are watching this trend closely and evaluating the threat for future conflicts. The Army secretary said it's not worth it to buy expensive weapons if they're vulnerable to drones. The US can't keep building and buying expensive weapons that are vulnerable to drones that are produced at a fraction of the cost, the Army secretary said. "We keep creating and purchasing these exquisite machines that very cheap drones can take out," Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll said during an episode of the "War on the Rocks" podcast that aired Tuesday. "If the number is even remotely right, that Russia has manufactured 1 million drones in the last 12 months, that just makes us have to rethink the cost of what we're buying," he continued. "We are the wealthiest nation, perhaps in the history of the world, but even we can't sustain a couple-million-dollar piece of equipment that can be taken out with an $800 drone and munition," he said. Driscoll was responding to a question about whether the US military was walking away from the Robotic Combat Vehicle. He said that while the concept was valuable, the cost ratio didn't work. Cheap drones have been used to deliver precision strikes against expensive military equipment. Stringer/REUTERS The US military has been watching the war in Ukraine, where cheap drones packed with explosives are damaging or destroying expensive combat equipment like tanks, other armored vehicles, air defenses, and even warships, highlighting the vulnerability of larger and more prized weapons that are insufficiently defended. The proliferation of cheap drones — some of which cost as little as a few hundred dollars — has become a growing concern for the US military as it readies for the possibility of a large-scale confrontation between NATO and Russia in Europe or a fight with China in the Pacific. Moscow said it produced 1.5 million drones last year. A Ukrainian tank commander called Russian drones a major threat to his American-made M1 Abrams tank, which costs about $10 million. Ukraine has outfitted its Abrams tanks and other systems, including European-made tanks and American-made armored fighting vehicles, with additional armor to help protect the expensive equipment from drones, but it's not a perfect solution. Armored vehicle losses in this war have been high. Ukraine, for example, has lost more than 4,400 armored vehicles, while Russia has lost more than 12,600, according to Oryx, an open-source intelligence site that tracks military equipment losses on both sides. And drones aren't just a threat to land assets. Ukrainian naval drones packed with explosives have wreaked havoc on Russia's Black Sea Fleet. These drones have even been upgraded to launch missiles. Ukraine said one managed to take down two of Russia's $50 million Su-30 fighter jets over the weekend. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
07-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Army secretary says US can't keep pumping money into expensive weapons that can be taken out by an $800 Russian drone
The US can't keep building and buying expensive weapons that are vulnerable to cheap drones that are a fraction of the cost, the Army secretary said. "We keep creating and purchasing these exquisite machines that very cheap drones can take out," Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll said during an episode of the War on the Rocks podcast that aired on Tuesday. "If the number is even remotely right, that Russia has manufactured 1 million drones in the last 12 months, that just makes us have to rethink the cost of what we're buying," he continued. "We are the wealthiest nation, perhaps in the history of the world, but even we can't sustain a couple-million-dollar piece of equipment that can be taken out with an $800 drone and munition," he said. Driscoll was responding to a question about whether the US military is walking away from the Robotic Combat Vehicle. He said that while the concept was valuable, the actual cost ratio didn't work. Driscoll's remarks come as the US military has been watching the war in Ukraine, where cheap drones packed with explosives are damaging or destroying expensive combat equipment like tanks, armored vehicles, air defenses, and even warships, highlighting the vulnerability of larger and more prized weapons that are insufficiently defended. The proliferation of cheap drones — some of which cost as little as a few hundred dollars, significantly less than more sophisticated weaponry — has become a growing concern for the US military as it readies for a potential large-scale confrontation between NATO and Russia in Europe or a fight with China in the Pacific. Moscow said it produced 1.5 million drones last year. A Ukrainian tank commander said Russian drones are a major threat to his American-made M1 Abrams tank, which costs around $10 million. Ukraine has outfitted its Abrams tanks and other systems, including European-made tanks and American-made armored fighting vehicles, with additional armor to protect the expensive equipment from drones, but it's not a perfect solution. Armored vehicle losses in this war have been high. Ukraine, for example, has lost over 4,400 armored vehicles, while Russia has lost more than 12,600, according to Oryx, an open-source intelligence site that tracks military equipment losses on both sides. And drones aren't just a threat to land assets. Ukrainian naval drones packed with explosives have wreaked havoc on Russia's Black Sea Fleet. These drones have even been upgraded to launch missiles. One managed to take down two of Russia's $50 million Su-30 fighter jets over the weekend.
