U.S. Army soldiers are incorporating advanced drone warfare tactics and equipment derived from Ukraine's experience in its ongoing conflict with Russia. These efforts are being showcased and refined during annual training exercises in Germany, where Ukrainian military personnel embed with U.S. forces to share insights.
Brig. Gen. Terry Tillis, leading the Germany-based Army training unit, stated that the exercise involves 1,900 drones, representing the latest lessons learned from Ukrainian operations. The Associated Press observed these drills, highlighting the close collaboration between U.S. and Ukrainian forces as the U.S. Army seeks to integrate drone capabilities more broadly.
Evolving Drone Warfare Integration
While the U.S. military has become more open about its cooperation with Ukrainian forces, a clear strategy for adapting tactics to a drone-saturated battlefield remains under development. An Army official noted that although there is consensus on the necessity of drones, decisions about how to structure ground forces for drone warfare and move beyond simply augmenting existing tasks are still being made.
Units are integrating one-way attack drones down to the company level, but officials emphasize the need for a more fundamental strategic shift than just adding drones to existing formations. Exercises like Saber Junction, which ran for nearly four weeks in August and September in Germany, involve the 173rd Airborne Brigade and serve as a platform for this integration.
Soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade were sent to Ukraine earlier in the year to gain firsthand knowledge from a country that has been at the forefront of drone warfare since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Approximately a dozen Ukrainian military personnel participated in the recent German exercise, offering expertise in electronic warfare, drone operations, and combat lessons.
According to Anthony Miller, the Army's chief technology officer, roughly 50% of the 173rd Airborne Brigade's engagements during the exercise involved drone contact first. This indicates a significant shift in tactical engagement.
Leadership Changes and Drone Efforts
These collaborative efforts occur amidst recent changes in Army leadership. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth replaced the Army’s top uniformed officer, Gen. Randy George, with Gen. Christopher LaNeve in April. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, a supporter of rapid drone adaptation, also departed. These departures have raised questions about the continuity of drone warfare initiatives.
Prior to Secretary Driscoll's departure, an Army unit within the 173rd Airborne Brigade that was experimenting with drone warfare was directed to cease its specialized efforts and revert to a traditional infantry battalion mission. The Army has stated this was always part of the plan, though previous leadership had anticipated the unit's continued work.
The loss of this specialized unit is seen by some as a setback, but an Army official indicated that the long-term path for such specialized units was uncertain. The focus, the official explained, is not to replicate Ukraine's approach but to help the U.S. Army conceptualize its own formations adapted for modern warfare.
Ukraine has developed its own Unmanned Systems Forces and deeply embedded drones across its military, often operating in tandem with traditional artillery. The U.S. Army, however, has resisted centralizing drone knowledge into a single corps. Miller explained that the strategy is to disseminate drone integration efforts across the entire Army, believing this approach fosters broader and more effective scaling of learning.