The U.S. Special Operations Command has reported a problem with excessive reliance on defense companies for the modernization of drones and electronic warfare (EW) systems. The American military is effectively unable to independently adapt equipment to front-line needs as Ukrainian defenders do. This was reported by Defense Express with reference to Defense News, according to UNN.
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Lieutenant General Lawrence Ferguson, Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, addressed the issue during a Congressional hearing. According to him, the military is forced to wait for manufacturers to update or modify unmanned systems, while the pace of modern warfare demands rapid technological adaptation.
This issue is particularly acute for Special Operations Forces, which are often the first to receive experimental weapon samples. U.S. SOCOM believes it is vital for front-line personnel to have the right to independently repair, modify, and improve equipment without waiting for decisions from large corporations.
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Defense Express notes that modern technologies—primarily UAVs, EW, SIGINT, and ground robotic systems—become obsolete in just a few months. This is why the Ukrainian military constantly refines equipment for real combat conditions and promptly relays new requirements to manufacturers.
According to the publication's assessment, it is precisely the flexibility of the Ukrainian approach that allowed for the rapid scaling of drone use in the war against Russia. Ukrainian soldiers created some solutions independently directly at the front, adapting even civilian technologies for combat missions.
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