US Races To Prepare For Next-Generation Drone Warfare

PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB): Drones are changing warfare and U.S. isn’t ready. Drones in Ukraine and in the War with Iran have made the surface of the earth a contested space. U.S. has discovered that:

1) air superiority and missile defense systems designed to counter tens/hundreds of aircraft and missiles are insufficient against asymmetric attacks of thousands of drones.

2) undefended high-value fixed civilian infrastructure, such as data centers, oil refineries, desalination plants, energy nodes, factories, etc., are all at risk.

America’s long-range kamikaze Shahed-136 drone clone – suddenly became “indispensable” weapon of war. The reverse-engineered U.S. LUCAS drone (Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System) was used in combat for first time during Operation Epic Fury.

Drone warfare has dramatically changed the battlefield. Is the U.S. military medical corps ready? To help them prepare for what they may encounter, an update was added to their standard curriculum. Its title: ‘Modern Warfare Concepts, POV Unmanned Aircraft System Explosives.’

Its focus: the risk of air attack and the importance of high-quality burn care.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here’s a roundup of the top defense news of the last couple of days from conservative national security expert PAUL CRESPO.

THE PDB – Not the President’s Daily Briefing, but almost as good – PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF:    

NATIONAL SECURITY

What is strategic rivalry? Why should we care? Interstate rivals have caused roughly 80% of history’s wars. Yet our key strategy documents since 2017 National Security Strategy use phrases like great power competition, interstate strategic competition, and strategic competition without acknowledging essential difference between competition and rivalry.

DEFENSE POLITICS

For decades, draft-eligible men ages 18 to 25 have been required to register with Selective Service System. Most states offer registration option on driver’s license applications. Now government will do it for them automatically.

Federal judge rejected War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s renewed effort to restrict press access to Pentagon, calling it an attempt to dictate media coverage that smacks of “an autocracy, not a democracy.” But what law or part of the Constitution does it violate?

Small defense industry AI startups are suddenly fielding calls from U.S. combatant commanders and deep-pocketed investors, after the souring relationship between Pentagon and its once-favored AI vendor, reinforced need to diversify and increase number of AI providers for military.

OpenAI endorses ‘appropriate human judgment’ in AI when incorporating advanced AI capabilities into defense operations.

US POWER OVERSEAS

USS Nimitz holds joint live-fire exercises with Ecuador navy off west coast of South America.

US AND NATO

President Trump, upset at NATO allies’ failure to help secure Strait of Hormuz and angry that his plans to acquire Greenland have not advanced, has discussed option of removing some U.S. troops from Europe.

Trump again chided NATO for its refusal to support U.S. operations in Iran, just day after tense private meeting with Secretary General Mark Rutte at White House.

IRAN CAMPAIGN

High stakes talks in Islamabad this weekend: U.S. and Iranian officials meet to negotiate terms of tenuous ceasefire to end the war. White House called talks “ongoing,” but any agreement remains extremely fragile as fighting continues.

CENTCOM Commander says U.S. has destroyed Iran’s ability to wage large-scale military action for years. U.S. forces to remain in region for now, remain “ready if called.”

Pentagon claims ‘we control the sky’ over Iran. Experts say air war isn’t that simple. To Trump and Hegseth, the herculean rescue of three downed airmen in hostile territory was further proof that U.S. military has full control of skies over Iran.

Attacking Air Force’s nests and eggs. Iranian drones and missiles struck Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, destroying an E-3 Sentry, an airborne command center for U.S. operations in region, and damaging multiple KC-135 tankers. These strikes are part of deliberate counterair campaign waged through asymmetric means against U.S. air assets.

U.S. military survivors of Iranian attack that killed six U.S. service members in Kuwait have disputed Pentagon’s description of events and said their unit was left dangerously exposed.

WAR’S REGIONAL/GLOBAL IMPACT

Pentagon and Vatican denied allegations of rift following Pope Leo XIV’s criticism of Trump administration and news report of contentious meeting between papal envoy and top U.S. defense official.

Netanyahu says there is no ceasefire in Lebanon as Israel launches fresh strikes. The Israeli PM says he will continue to attack Hezbollah ‘with full force’ after attacks that killed more than 300 people.

CHINA THREAT

Trump Quietly Scraps His Own Playbook on China. White House walks back aggressive approach of first administration, in dramatic reversal.

China’s Xi invokes ‘threat’ of Taiwan independence in first cross-strait opposition talks in decade.

RUSSIA THREAT/UKRAINE WAR

UK deployed warships to deter Russian submarines from attacks on undersea cables after the subs spent more than month in and around UK waters earlier this year.

EUROPEAN DEFENSE

Researchers propose ‘rewilding’ Europe’s borderlands to repel enemies. Restoring wild forests, peat bogs and wetlands would establish defensive barriers that are hard to cross for enemy armored units, at fraction of cost of concrete anti-tank ditches while bringing environmental benefits.

SPACE THREATS

Space Force taps 14 firms for $1.8 billion GEO surveillance program. Companies will compete for contracts to build ‘neighborhood watch’ satellites.

US MILITARY

Army has first delivery of new service rifle, XM8 Carbine, from Sig Sauer.

Eligible active-duty Air Force aviators can receive up to $50,000 per year in bonuses for shorter contract lengths in effort to retain airmen with “critical skills that are highly sought after.”

Coast Guard seeks contractors to provide drone equipment and services to support intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations.

END of PDB

FOR MORE DETAILED, UNCENSORED, INTELLIGENCE, AND ANALYSIS FROM PAUL CRESPO, SUBSCRIBE TO HIS SUBSTACK.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.

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