What Ukraine’s Drone War Is Teaching America

PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – Frontline lessons: Some of Ukraine’s best-known drone military commanders and experts will be visiting Washington later this month to brief policymakers and defense leaders on the rapidly evolving landscape of modern drone warfare.

Lessons from Ukraine for defending Gulf airspace from Shahed drones. Counter-drone systems can intercept “most” threats and still fail at protecting people and critical nodes. Small, low flying drones present detection challenges and punish any gap in hardening or point defense.

This, as U.S. is using expensive Patriot interceptors to take down Iran’s low-cost kamikaze drones.

These are Ukraine’s $1,000 “drone interceptor” drones Pentagon wants to buy. Ukraine spent years perfecting cheap drone killers. After burning through billions in missiles in three days, U.S. and allies are asking for help.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here’s a roundup of today’s other top defense news 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

Gaza and the logic of high intensity urban warfare. Much commentary has implicitly (and wrongly) measured Gaza war against perceived “gold standard” (akin to campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan) of “humane” warfare: restrained low intensity operations that separate insurgents and civilians, use of dismounted ground operations, and expansive humanitarian assistance to win “hearts and minds.”

DEFENSE POLITICS

As Pentagon increasingly relies on AI, it seeks system to ensure AI models work as planned.

‘Radical acceleration’ in speed at which military targets are identified through AI, and how quickly action is taken against them, raises concerns about lack of human oversight, especially given that AI models have “25 to 50% reliability, which means they are wrong very often.”

US POWER OVERSEAS

Ecuador to launch major military offensive against criminal organizations and narco-terrorist groups in three western provinces this weekend with U.S. logistical support.

IRAN CAMPAIGN

Watch as CENTCOM Commander issues update on Operation Epic Fury.

Analysis: Iran war becomes a contest of who can take the most pain – Trump or Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

U.S. has destroyed entire class of Iranian warships and taken out more than 60 Iranian warships.

Video shows U.S. strikes on multiple boats as U.S. destroyed 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels in Strait of Hormuz.

Pentagon confirmed identity of sixth soldier killed by Iran in drone strike on Port Shuaiba, Kuwait.

White House struggles to explain how Iran war will end. President Trump has cycled from calls for “unconditional surrender” to sounding amenable to an end state in which Iran trades one hardline ayatollah for another.

As I have said from beginning. Trump was wrong about it being an Iranian rocket. Outdated intelligence likely led to U.S. carrying out deadly missile strike on elementary school in Iran adjacent to Iranian naval facility that killed over 165 people, in the opening hours of the conflict.

Australian to send E-7A Wedgetail advanced early-warning aircraft to Middle East and help replenish UAE stocks of AIM-120 air-to-air missiles.

REGIONAL/GLOBAL IMPACT

Attacks reported on three more cargo ships in Gulf, with oil price back near $100. Iraq has halted operations at its oil terminals after two foreign tankers carrying Iraqi fuel oil were attacked in Iraqi waters.

Three ships attacked in blockaded Persian Gulf as Iran ‘weaponizes’ narrow Strait of Hormuz passage through which fifth of world’s oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes. Iran tells world to prepare for $200 per barrel of oil.

Operation Epic Escort: U.S. assessing how to reopen flow of crude oil tankers and cargo ships through Persian Gulf as White House makes resuming regional trade main priority across the government.

Satellite operator SES said Iranian missile “targeted and struck” its teleport facility in Israel amid ongoing Israeli and U.S. military operations against Iran.

South Korea said some U.S. air defense systems stationed on Korean peninsula could be deployed overseas as U.S. war with Iran intensifies.

CHINA THREAT

Iran war giving China real-time look at how America fights. While Beijing is studying defense technologies being deployed by U.S. and Israel, hardware is only one part of the equation. Yes, but U.S. is actually learning more by doing it.

Xi Enforces His Demand for Ethnic Unity Across China. After crackdowns on Uyghurs and Tibetans, law threatens punishment for anyone who doesn’t embrace common language and culture.

RUSSIA THREAT/UKRAINE WAR

Norwegian F-35s intercepted Russian intelligence-gathering aircraft two days in a row during an ongoing NATO military exercise.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

Japan shrugs off GCAP delays, fast-tracks export rules for future 6^th gen warplane. It is working to accelerate the tri-nation GCAP stealth fighter collaboration with UK and Italy despite reported fiscal and contract delays, which experts say are unlikely to push back target deployment in 2035.

Explosive-laden drone blamed on Sudanese paramilitaries struck secondary school and health care center in southern Sudan, killing at least 17 people, mostly schoolgirls.

US MILITARY

Marine Corps pursues thermal ‘invisibility’ cloaks to hide troops from heat sensors. As Ukraine war has shown, drones equipped with thermal sensors have made battlefield so hazardous that best defense is not to be spotted at all.

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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