"In a war with China, US forces could be overwhelmed by swarms of drones unless the military more aggressively invests in the systems needed to stop them, a new report warns. The report, released Wednesday by the Center for a New American Security, argues that while the Pentagon has long talked about the need for counter-drone technologies, it has failed to prioritize them at scale, risking leaving troops vulnerable in a high-end fight."
"Rival China, on the other hand, has been pouring its resources into developing uncrewed systems, especially small one-way attack drones, while also developing more advanced capabilities. In 2024, Beijing ordered one million one-way attack drones for delivery by 2026, signaling both the intent and capacity to mass-produce drones at significant levels. "Without deep magazines of substantially enhanced counter-drone capabilities, the United States risks having its distributed warfighting strategies overwhelmed by massed Chinese drone attacks, and the United States could lose a war over Taiwan,""
China is mass-producing uncrewed systems, including small one-way attack drones, and ordered one million such drones for delivery by 2026, demonstrating intent and production capacity. US distributed warfighting concepts risk being overwhelmed by massed drone attacks without far larger stocks of counter-drone capabilities. The Defense Department has invested billions and plans roughly $7.4 billion for counter-drone technologies in 2025, but current programs lack sufficient scale and speed. Layered defenses combining kinetic, electronic, and other countermeasures are required to protect forces and preserve deterrence, especially for contingencies such as a cross-Strait conflict over Taiwan.
#drone-swarms #counter-drone-technologies #china-military-modernization #taiwan-contingency #us-defense-spending
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