The American military and Ukraine recently engaged in war games featuring drones. Simply put, we got our asses smoked. The Wall Street Journal reported:
U.S. Army troops faced off against Ukrainian drone operators at a military exercise in Germany earlier this year. It didn’t go well for the Americans.
During the exercise, called Combined Resolve, Ukrainian drone units easily spotted and defeated U.S. troops and armored vehicles on rotation from Fort Hood in Texas, according to people familiar with the events.
The exercise, coupled with U.S. casualties in Iran, shows American vulnerabilities to drones—years after the U.S. made uncrewed systems an essential part of warfare. America pioneered using long-range drones in war. The Pentagon has recently spent billions acquiring new drone and counterdrone technology and formed special units to operate it....The drubbing in Germany conveyed lessons from Ukraine focused on short-range battlefield drones. The exercise, held in April and May, tested visiting troops’ ability to operate and defend against the proliferation of smaller, front-line drones that have dominated the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Exercises like Combined Resolve are run precisely so that forces can experience realistic combat conditions. Army leaders in Europe over recent years have taken advantage of having Ukrainian forces on hand to participate and impart their hard-won skills to U.S. and allied troops in practice, on simulated battlefields. The expectation is that failures are educational. British and Swedish exercises have also resulted in easy Ukrainian triumphs.
“You can’t get training like this in the United States,” said Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s top military leader. He said that after NATO forces exercise against Ukrainian forces, “The change is remarkable.”...
Around 3,500 U.S. personnel, primarily from the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, took part in the exercise. Their task was to attack a position defended by the Army training-ground’s opposition force, or OPFOR, who were reinforced by Ukrainian troops from the 412th Regiment of Unmanned Systems Forces, or Nemesis, people familiar with the matter said.
The rotating troops were equipped with standard electronic-warfare and counterdrone systems, according to an Army official. New Mobile Brigade Combat Teams, equipped with the latest gear and tactics, have fared much better in exercises, the Army official said.
The Ukrainian drone operators eliminated a U.S. armored brigade in the exercise, according to U.S. officials briefed on the exercise and one participant.
The exercising troops sent into battle heavy armored vehicles that threw up dust and were easy for Ukrainian reconnaissance drones to spot, according to the participant. Those drones were followed by drones dropping explosives and first-person-view drones, which smash into targets in combat, this person said....
The U.S. reran the training scenario over the two-week engagement. The rotating forces improved their performance, as they became more adept at dispersing and concealing themselves and using electronic warfare, said the Army official. The Ukrainians also switched sides midway through the exercises and helped them use drone technology offensively, which they did effectively, the official said.... Rest of article.
We produce 100,000 drones a year while Ukraine produces 5 million a year despite getting bombed and shelled on a daily basis. This exercise was like watching the Japs sink the Royal Navy at Singapore. Billy Mitchell would be proud.
46 comments:
No drones, no problem - nuke 'em.
Now just imagine how well China would do.
The US Military is the world's most expensive paper tiger.
China's Guinness World Record Drone Lightshow
Yep we hired a Chinese-American group to do the 250th Independence Day drone show
Our drones cost 10x their drones. And not because they are better. It’s because so many grifters have their fingers in the procurement cookie jar.
Pete Hegseth would say: "That's because on those DEI girls in our military! We need big, strong, manly men to jiggle those toggle switches!"
When was the last time China won a war? When was the last time China won a naval battle? Ukraine won because they have a LOT of experience using them against Russia
When it comes to drone warfare no one has more experience than Ukraine. The future is cheap drone warfare
@10:44
Absolutely hilarious. Ukraine is by far the most corrupt country in Europe.
Their Drones are cheaper because the US taxpayer is paying for them (and Zelenskyy's yachts and cocaine habit). They can acquire parts from China.
Beware the military-industrial complex….
The US Military isn’t nearly as strong as it once was. It’s very ominous.
Hey, it's all good, Pentagon Pete's got us: https://thehill.com/policy/defense/6042667-us-army-phasing-out-drone-unit/
11:26 should know better than to use facts which get in the way of a good narrative.
We have a new Number 1 as the most goofy post of the year.
You are quoting The Hill? Did your National Enquirer subscription lapse?
@11:26 AM
When was the last time the USA won a war? Vietnam? Afghanistan? Iraq? I know the last time Americans faced China's Peoples' Liberation Army on the battlefield it ended in an armistice at the 38th parallel on the Korean Peninsula (another war we didn't win btw)
The US Navy is struggling to project power at this very moment. Social media is flooded with videos uploaded by the most worthless sailors in the navy's history. The crews look like the dregs you would see working on a Friday night at the Walmart of Hwy 18 in Jackson.
I’m concerned because of the failure with Iran
"I'd walk a mile to smoke a Camel..."
Ukraine’s corruptness is unrelated to our $700 hammers and $5 billion camo redesign.
We will soon be the United States of Russia!
The whole purpose of war games is to find weaknesses and areas for improvement. Being surprised that they actually found an area needing improvement just proves you know little about war games.
USA just lost to Iran, most expensive, paper tiger military the world has ever seen.
Wars are not like they used to be nor how they should be. Some people have made up a set of rules for wars. The people making the rules have never had any military training. The idea of going to war is to destroy the enemies as soon as possible. These rules for war will be the end of our country.
A huge barrier to drone development in the US is the regulatory bodies that hamper use. I believe in the US there are so many entrepreneurs that cannot full develop their technology because of so many obstacles and barriers that the government has placed on them. This isn’t the case in China.
Regardless of how we got here, I just hope our military reports to the President and Congress that war has changed. We need to learn from Ukraine and Iran. A complete rethinking of what we spend our money on is needed immediately.
I didn't want to get political, but Trump needs to shut up about going back to steam catapults for aircraft carriers. The electromagnet system is just better, that is why we switched to it.
This change will somehow cost billions of dollars and delay a carrier already under construction for a year or two. His personal whims should not override things that have already been thought out.
This is one of the most ill-informed string of comments I’ve ever read on a post. You Call of Duty warriors know everything about combat and military history.
Ukraine-Russia has similarities to the Spanish Civil War.
Im only concerned on when I am to going to swim in the Reflective Pool and dance in the White House ballroom. Who gives a shit about war games.
We should get rid of the AR 15 and go back to muskets . Much simpler to use!
Eisenhower was right! and that is why Kennedy was killed…Coupt de Ta!!!
I agree, so get ready for WW 3, no get’s out alive.
I think The U.S. has got out over it’s Ski’s
Good thing Donald gave Jr. that drone contract.
Jr. will save us with drones adorned with gold plated wings.
Please tell me you are not serious. Iran is devastated. We have lost far fewer soldiers than people are murdered in Chicago each weekend, although every life is precious (unless you are in Chicago).
Explain to me one more time, why American soldiers and sailors have to die, to further a agenda that has nothing to do with defending US, The Roman Empire lasted longer than ours but it failed. Some critics like to compare Trump to Hitler, I think he is more like Mussolini😉
@10:36
Yep you GOPtards are doing it again. Just like Vietnam you are measuring successes on how “devastated” your carpet bombing has left the civilian population. Meanwhile, zero objectives have been achieved. Iran is defiant and has tightened control over the strait of hormuz. And the US is exposed as a wet; mewing, paper tiger.
US military is adding more drone capabilities. Drones are effective on open plains like the battlefront in Ukraine. Ukraine has given us the greatest victory over Russia in Operation Spiderweb. That single attack is worth every penny sent to Ukraine. However, drones are useless in heavy cover.
$500 billion waated since February and we might not even get a deal with Iran that’s as good as what Obama had and Biden maintained. Now Trump is the bully who got knocked down by the defiant little “weakling”. How is this MAGA?
Nope - he's a Trojan Lenin/Stalin.
I will always bet on the USA in a fight.
12:44, thanks for taking a video game break and commenting. However, claiming zero objectives have been achieved is laughable. Iran does not have nukes and their nuclear program has been set back years. In addition, Iran is no longer in a position to sponsor regional terrorism. I don’t like Trump either but I’m not going to let that blind me to what’s actually going on.
Didn't Obama just ship plane loads of money to them? Or was that another country he sent plane loads of money to?
@10:11 AM
As a reward for their compliance with IAE inspections, Obama allowed them to have the money the USA stole from them. You MAGAtards have a sick way of twisting everything. It was Iranian money that the Rothschild banks in Manhattan stole from Iran. And Obama returned it.
10:11 Go look up where that money Obama “gave them” came from
7:50, God bless you. I’m guessing you are early twenties, full of piss and vinegar, and naive enough to get all of your news from Facebook and TikTok. Iran has been neutered at a very minimal cost. They no longer have a navy, air force, functioning military bases, or any kind of defense. They do have a few hidden weapons they can pull out and fire off at neighbors or ships, but that’s about all they’ve got. By no stretch of the imagination has Trump been “knocked down”. Please come better prepared when you want to join an adult conversation.
@1:01 PM
Please explain the 71 times Trump threatened Iran with "total annihilation" and then begged for a "deal" within 24 hours. You are delusional and really need to take your meds.
1:26, I wasn’t defending Trump, he has certainly handled this in a frustrating way, but he has not been knocked down and Iran is not winning. All I’m suggesting is you should craft an opinion using facts, not ideology and hate.
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