Ryan Tseng 🇺🇸’s Post

Ukrainian Drone Video Makes History by Targeting Russian Soldiers on Jet Skis - The video showcases the integration of basic yet effective drones into military strategy, marking one of Ukraine's significant achievements in combat since early 2023. - As the conflict evolves, Russian forces have increasingly utilized jet skis for movement on the Dnieper, taking advantage of their speed and agility to minimize visibility and reduce time spent in exposed positions. - However, Ukrainian drone attacks demonstrate a novel approach to countering these tactics, highlighting how the innovative use of technology is reshaping the battlefield landscape. - https://lnkd.in/ef_EsGQv

This is a powerful example of an effective military drone deployment. Despite lacking its own warships, Ukraine has successfully utilised two types of uncrewed sytems to great effect. As a result, Russia’s Black Sea fleet has reportedly withdrawn from its longstanding headquarters in the occupied Crimean Peninsula. This article is another source highlighting the significance, and the growing military appetite for the employment of UAS globally. https://lnkd.in/d3pGnkTY

We are witnessing in real-time the complete rewriting of military doctrine. As horrific as the Ukraine-Russian war is, it has also turned into an invaluable guide to how drones and autonomous AI systems will play out in future conflicts. The reality is that manned aircraft are fast becoming obsolete in their traditional roles - surveillance, intelligence gathering, air support and weapons delivery. A typical drone typically costs less than 1/1000th the cost of a manned aircraft, requires far less maintenance and deployment costs, can be replaced quickly, and can often come in well underneath existing anti-aircraft systems. An attack like the one above can prove devastating because not only does it deprive the Russians of munitions, but it also forces them to distribute caches, which ups the complexity costs of delivery - and, with a strong surveillance system, makes it far easier for drones to target delivery caravans.

Houthis' pose a major threat, deploy underwater drones for the first time in Red Sea フーシ派が水中ドローンを使い始めた Red Sea tensions escalate as Houthis deploy underwater drones for the first time, prompting US forces to engage. Five Houthi targets, including an underwater drone, were struck in Yemen by CENTCOM's self-defense strikes. The strikes targeted anti-ship missiles and unmanned vessels. This marks the first encounter of US forces with Houthi underwater drones. Houthis, controlling parts of Yemen, initiated attacks in solidarity with Palestinians, demanding a Gaza cease-fire. US and UK forces respond to protect naval assets amidst escalating maritime tensions. CENTCOM underscores the necessity of self-defense measures, while ongoing monitoring of Houthi activities continues in the Red Sea and Yemen. https://lnkd.in/gUMggtD7

Once again, an example of the gap between russian propaganda on the state of their technology and the reality. Presented as a state of the art advanced unmanned system, the reality is more that the s-70 is a glider equipped with basic flight capabilities and traditional radio controls. One more reason not to be affraid by Kremlin red lines. After the end of USSR, the western services were suprised by the reality they discovered, far from what they had been expecting. It’s the same today with russia, threat based on bluff, lies and false statements. https://lnkd.in/esAGSrDd

The ability to project industrial scale as in WWII (“mass”) is no longer enough. The ability to employ sophisticated technology to hit specific targets with fewer shots (“precision”) is no longer enough. We’ve now entered an era of war in which precision & mass are combined at scale. Moreover, based on publicly available information, our principal enemy is far ahead in projecting power via “precise mass” — at vastly lower cost than our industrial system can bear. Rising to this challenge will be incredibly difficult & will take many years. It’s possible, if not probable, that it will require more time than we have; but all is not lost. IMO, we need to be thinking about how to usher in the *NEXT* transformation. Can we employ new technology in ways the enemy Axis can’t or won’t & force them to play on our terms? If we don’t have the pieces to win on the game board, can we change the game board itself in a short period of time & before it’s too late? In the meantime, do we have the capability to concentrate our resources & adapt our strategy to deter &/or defend attacks against our home territory? I think so! I’m not saying we should abandon or neglect efforts to modernize & expand our industrial base or produce a new generation of advanced weapons which are simultaneously devastating, precise, localized, & cheap. I’m saying we should allow talent & resources to flow to the domains & companies which can make the biggest difference. IMO, that’s only possible with free markets, creative destruction, & a domain agnostic military command which thinks in terms of 1st principles & refuses to compromise liberty in pursuit of security. We can & must have both.

cUAS strategy is extremely important

Interested to see how this can translate to the maritime environment, and what it will mean for C-USV, C-UAS, and C-UUV developments.

Today in Asia Times, I wrote about the US plan to deploy a "hellscape" of drone swarms in the Taiwan Strait to counter a potential Chinese invasion. The strategy involves using unmanned aircraft, submarines, and ships to create a chaotic and deadly environment for Chinese forces, buying critical time for US and allied military intervention. This approach is part of the broader Replicator Program, which aims to produce and deploy affordable autonomous drones quickly and on a large scale. Despite the ambitious plan, significant challenges exist, including US military budget constraints and China's vast shipbuilding capacity. Simulations and analyses highlight the potential effectiveness of drone swarms but also reveal vulnerabilities to electronic warfare and cyberattacks. The heavy casualties projected in a Normandy-style cross-strait invasion may also mean that it is not China's preferred means of pursuing reunification with Taiwan; instead, it may use a naval blockade under the guise of increasingly frequent military exercises or a multiyear coercion campaign.

Another real world example of why it is crucial for the United States to be fully invested in supporting Ukraine and get off this slow-drip procession towards the status quo and lack of vision for the world and where American interests lie. Ukraine-Russia war is where military innovation is at its fastest and where the next twenty years of military development and sales will be coming from. If we are not learning and testing our innovations we will fall behind in our offensive and defensive capabilities to Russia, China, and even Iran and North Korea, who are, and we would lose out in billions of arms sales to anyone who actually works closely with Ukrainian military. I do wonder how much future Shield AI drones can have when they cost over $1,000,000 each, as much as many of the most advanced missiles and when you compare it to the $1,500 drones that are wreaking havoc on both sides of the Ukraine-Russia war. Still, it is a great sign that an American company is delivering innovation that is needed at the time of that need. A lot of promise to where our innovation can go, and hopefully scale to reduce costs to the level when their drones can be competitive with the hundreds of thousands being built and deployed by Ukraine and Russia. https://lnkd.in/evd4hm57