Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance: What the United States Can Learn from Ukraine

 Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance: What the United States Can Learn from Ukraine

Kateryna Bondar breaks down how Ukraine reshaped its acquisition system to rapidly field unmanned capabilities, and how the United States can adopt these war-tested methods to lead the drone race.

Report by Kateryna Bondar — July 18, 2025

To fully harness this potential, the DOD must make three critical changes: (1) create a separate budget which is not be tied to rigid requirements and line items for procuring, testing, fielding, and iterating commercial technologies at speed, (2) remove outdated and excessive security and classification barriers that currently exclude nontraditional vendors and favor only large defense contractors, and (3) build modern, digital communication channels that allow real-time collaboration between commercial innovators and military end users. Together, these steps would lay the foundation for a true commercial-first acquisition model capable of keeping the U.S. military on the leading edge of technological innovation.

Such a shift will take time, but there is precedent—the evolution of the U.S. space sector. For decades, NASA led a government-only model of space exploration and providing services for national security agencies. But over time, commercial companies like SpaceX, Maxar, and Planet Labs emerged and were given the opportunity—and funding—to demonstrate their value. Today, two parallel systems coexist, with the commercial sector proving to be not only cost-effective but often more agile and operationally capable. The DOD can take a similar path with unmanned systems, gradually integrating a commercial-first model alongside traditional acquisition and allowing results to speak for themselves.

The success of this approach in Ukraine lies in the dual-track systems that coexist alongside and complement one another. By embracing this shift, the department can not only unlock the full potential of U.S. innovation but also build a defense ecosystem that is better prepared for the demands of modern warfare. The time to act is now—while the United States still has the advantage of peace, unmatched technological leadership, and the resources to lead this transformation on its own terms.