Opinion | America's Battlefield Dominance Is Under Serious Threat

Updated: Jul 06, 2026 14:47 pm IST Published On Jul 06, 2026 14:45 pm IST Last Updated On Jul 06, 2026 14:47 pm IST

Published On Jul 06, 2026 14:45 pm IST

Last Updated On Jul 06, 2026 14:47 pm IST

The US Army buys 50,000 drones a year, set to increase in 2027 to 340,000. Sounds like a lot? Yeah, but Ukraine is producing and launching 4 million a year. Meanwhile, an Iranian missile landing on a Gulf air base destroyed a $300 million E-3 Sentry early-warning aircraft. America can afford it? Well, maybe, but it was one of a US fleet of just 16 such aircraft, now down to 15.

At the same time, Ukraine's $300,000-a-pop kamikaze drone boats have displayed in the Black Sea an ability to destroy warships costing hundreds of millions of dollars - they have sunk 13 Russian vessels and damaged many more. As for artificial intelligence, experts believe that this threatens to wipe out the technological lead the US has possessed over actual and potential enemies since World War II.

Warfare, strategy and weapons systems are morphing at extraordinary speed. The US still possesses by far the most capable military. But its ability to dominate a battlefield, never mind an entire region, is under threat in a fashion that military men and women understand better than do many national leaders.

Iran is still standing, after enduring the heaviest fire America and Israel could unleash upon it. Since 2022 Ukraine has fought Russia almost to a standstill. A while back, I was among those who feared that its defenses would collapse as President Donald Trump cozied up to Russia's Vladimir Putin and slashed supplies of arms to Kyiv, especially air-defense missiles.

Instead, we are witnessing an extraordinary Ukrainian fightback, driven by domestically produced weapons largely funded by Europe. The embattled people's ingenuity and passion have turned the tide on the frontlines, teaching us much not only about this war, but about the likely face of all future war.

Ukrainians are killing Russian troops at an estimated 10,000 a month, almost half a million in total since 2022, at least five times Ukrainian losses. Drones are........

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