Ukraines drone parade marches ahead as the Pentagon veers the wrong way

Events on opposite sides of the Atlantic last month revealed radically different approaches to the future of warfare — and one nation is taking a wrong turn.Days after the US Army announced plans to disband its only experimental Unmanned Assault Battalion, Ukraine staged the world’s first all-robot, no-human military parade.The 600-member American drone battalion, part of the 173rd Airborne Brigade based in Germany, had been tasked with developing US drone warfare tactics, drawing lessons from Ukraine and sharing its findings with the rest of the Army.This month, however, the battalion will return to its former role as an airborne infantry unit.The backtrack came on the heels of a new strategic roadmap from Gen.Christopher LaNeve, the Army’s acting chief of staff, promoting the back-to-basics approach advocated by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.In his report “The Army Azimuth,” issued Aug.

19, LaNeve stressed “a strong grounding in warrior ethos, individual Soldier readiness, and small unit tactical skills” — while downplaying the importance of technology.A week later, the Marine Corps released its own strategy document, “Ground Combat Element 2040,” which acknowledged drone warfare but asserted, “The future force remains fundamentally human-centric, grounded in the willpower, discipline and adaptability of the individual Marine.”Meanwhile, the Drone Dominance Program Hegseth launched last year is having trouble delivering — only about 60% of the 22,000 first-person-view attack drones ordered by the Pentagon have arrived on time.That’s a weak start: Ukraine produces more than that number of FPVs every week.On Aug.24 Kyiv strutted its robot stuff in its first-ever uncrewed military parade, to celebrate its Independence Day.The line of wheeled and tracked vehicles included at least six different types, all developed and produced in Ukraine — reconnaissance vehicles, mine-clearing types, logistics and resupply buggies and casualty-evacu...