Ukraine’s recent surprise attack on Russian offensive weapons caches, employing a drone swarm, has highlighted the United States’ vulnerabilities to similar attacks. Retired military officials emphasize that while the U.S. possesses the technological capability to counter drones, the main obstacle lies in the lack of a unified policy and authority structure to effectively respond. This gap in preparedness, they argue, may only be addressed by a significant domestic drone attack. The incident has also drawn attention to the domestic risks associated with drone technology, including the potential for unauthorized operations and the implications of these threats for national security.
Col. Seth Krummrich, a retired Army Special Forces commander and vice president at the Virginia-based security firm Global Guardian, warned that the U.S. remains vulnerable to drone attacks. He noted that the issue is not a technological gap, but a policy/authority process to engage and deny drone attacks. Krummrich stated that it would take a major drone strike in the U.S. to change policy. He also pointed out the challenges civilian operations face in obtaining approval for drone-interception-authority protections, with the NFL being an exception.
General David Grange, a retired veteran of the 101st Airborne, recently returned from Ukraine where his Osprey Relief Foundation team conducted a