US Military Transforming To Integrate Drone Warfare Capabilities

PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) — ‘If you can be seen, you can be killed’: Drone warfare forces broad rethink of training. A recent robotic assault by Ukraine on Russian positions north of Kharkiv marked a watershed moment for how ground combat forces must prepare for war, say top U.S. general.

“We need to think of a combined arms battalion more like a carrier strike group that has embedded countermeasures.” 

“We usually have these large clusters of formations. We like to drive in convoys,” said Maj. Gen. Ronald Ragin, commander of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command. 

“I do not believe that that will be applicable on future battlefields, because if you can be seen, you can be killed.”

Participants from across the military will converge next month for a “Top Gun” school for first-person kamikaze drones — the type that right now are helping Ukrainians defend against Russia’s invasion.

Lawmakers on both sides of Capitol Hill are pressing DOD to get serious about the threat cheap, small drones pose to U.S. forces at home and abroad — and to put them in the hands of troops as quickly as possible. 

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here’s a roundup of today’s other top defense stories ending the week from conservative national security expert PAUL CRESPO.

Not the President’s Daily Brief, but almost as good – PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEFING – the PDB:    

NATIONAL SECURITY

Six months into President Trump’s second administration, national security elites at the annual Aspen Security Forum have accepted that this president has irrevocably upended the global order. 

After investigation revealed how Microsoft’s “digital escort” tech support service could expose sensitive government data to cyberattacks, the company says China-based engineers will no longer support DOD cloud services. 

Venezuela releases jailed Americans, including a former Navy SEAL, in Trump-led deal that frees migrants deported to El Salvador by U.S.

In the weeks since the White House and DOD briefly scuffled over sending weapons to Ukraine, a core question remains: Is our weapons stockpile large enough to counter mounting threats against the U.S.?

HOMELAND SECURITY

Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) has warned of a potential terrorist threat against retired “senior officials” who worked for DOD, served in Syria and Iraq and currently live in Florida.

Defense Secretary Hegseth says bases in Indiana and New Jersey can house detained immigrants without affecting military readiness — a step toward potentially detaining thousands of people on bases on U.S. soil. 

Army veteran who took part in “hate rallies” with white supremacist and gave tactical training to Neo-Nazi groups was sentenced to two years in prison on federal gun charges. 

DEFENSE POLITICS

Another senior aide to Secretary Hegseth is leaving DOD, marking at least the sixth departure of a top adviser in his first six months in office.

House lawmakers advanced their $832 billion defense appropriations plan for fiscal 2026 despite strong objections from Democrats over missing budgetary details and social issue fights. 

Trump administration’s shipbuilding effort has shifted from the National Security Council to the White House Office of Management and Budget. 

As the legal court battle over Trump’s efforts to ban certain books in DOD schools for military children makes its way through the courts, the Naval Academy settles on shorter list of banned books.

A promotion for a National Guard officer is being delayed by one of California’s senators in protest of the Trump administration’s military deployments in Los Angeles. 

US POWER OVERSEAS

Aircraft carriers George Washington (CVN-73) and UK’s HMS Prince of Wales met in the Timor Sea off Australia for operations as part of Talisman Sabre 2025. 

Air Force F-35s recently operated from the Philippines for the first time ever as part of the latest edition of the Cope Thunder exercise. 

With a simulated earthquake, U.S. and Japan gauge evolving command coordination. The two nations concluded a weeklong disaster-response exercise, the first to bring together U.S. Forces Japan and the country’s newly formed Joint Operations Command. 

IRAN THREAT/MIDDLE EAST

Trump is doubling down on the administration’s claim that U.S. military strikes “completely destroyed” Iran’s three nuclear sites last month, pushing back against a new assessment reportedly showing that only one of the three facilities was wrecked. 

‘Nothing has changed’: Iran’s armed proxies are ramping up pressure on key points in the Middle East as Tehran attempts to rebuild its regional influence, eroded by two year Israeli military campaign. 

Drones used to attack military bases in Iraq during the recent Israel-Iran war were manufactured outside Iraq but were launched inside its territory, according to investigation.

CHINA THREAT

Taiwan extends drills to show China — and Trump — it’s ready to fight. Residents practiced fleeing their apartment buildings and flocking to underground parking garages, as air raid sirens blared across Taiwan’s capital region, home to 7 million people. In the city’s main stadium army reservists simulated distributing food and other emergency rations. Elementary schools became mock operating theaters and first aid stations. 

China Builds World’s Largest Dam in Tibet: Threat or Innovation? 

New photo suggests that China’s Shenyang J-35, its next-generation carrier-based stealth fighter, may have entered limited production and could be in service with the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).

Will China abandon its noninterventionist foreign policy for Iran? After the recent attacks by Israel and the U.S., Iran will likely upgrade its conventional military capabilities with China’s help. 

China was on the sidelines of the Iran-Israel war. That’s just where it wanted to be. Along with Iran, and North Korea, China and Russia are key members of an “axis” of authoritarian nations or a growing anti-U.S. alignment. 

 RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR

Russia is open to peace with Ukraine, but achieving its goals remains a priority, Kremlin spokesman said days after Trump gave Moscow a 50-day deadline to agree to a ceasefire or face tougher sanctions.

Russia’s summer offensive in Ukraine is gaining ground as its forces attack on multiple fronts. In June, the country’s numerical advantages in troops and air power produced its biggest monthly gains in territory since the beginning of the year. 

UK and Germany are set to pledge new air defense systems for Ukraine as UK pushes for a “50-day drive” to arm Kyiv and bring Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table. 

Germany and the UK have signed their first bilateral defense pact since World War II, promising to come to each other’s aid in the case either is attacked and deepening defense integration. 

No time to waste: As the U.S. and its allies pledge to ramp up defense spending amid mounting global threats, the supreme allied commander of Europe is calling on industry to deliver real capabilities to the field in record time. 

US MILITARY

After years of uncertainty about the Air Force’s tanker plans, the service has decided to buy more KC-46s instead of launching a new competition for its next tanker buy. 

Space Force presence on the Space Coast in Florida is beginning to swell as one of its major units, STARCOM, had its first change-of-command since its headquarters moved from Colorado. 

END of PDB