September 18, 2025
Sharper: Defending Against Drones
After three decades of air dominance, the United States faces a more hostile world brought about by the proliferation of inexpensive military and commercial drones. In any future conflict, drones will likely pose an unavoidable threat to U.S. forces. CNAS experts analyze the future of drone warfare and how the United States can defend its forces in the latest edition of Sharper.
Features
Report | Countering the Swarm: Protecting the Joint Force in the Drone Age
Countering the Swarm: Protecting the Joint Force in the Drone Age, by Stacie Pettyjohn and Molly Campbell, finds that the United States is unprepared to defend against modern and future drone threats, risking defeat in a potential war against China. In the report, the authors parse a decade of defense spending, analyze recent combat operations in the Middle East, and highlight insights from a U.S.-China wargame. The authors call on the Department of Defense to swiftly develop counter-drone capabilities or risk suffering significant losses in future conflicts.
Podcast | Drones Over Poland
Earlier this month, Russian drones crossed into Poland in an unprecedented act that prompted Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to describe the country as closest to war since World War II. NATO jets downed some of the Russian drones, while Poland invoked Article 4 of the alliance. To discuss how the United States and NATO could respond, Brussels Sprouts welcomed two former U.S. ambassadors to NATO, Douglas Lute and Kurt Volker, onto the show.
Report | Drone Proliferation Dataset
The Drone Proliferation Dataset tracks global transfers of military-grade aerial drones, regardless of size and capability, between 1995 and September 1, 2023. It was created as part of a larger research project by the CNAS Defense Program that examined trends in drone proliferation and drone use in recent conflicts, as well as their effects on a potential future conflict over Taiwan. This research culminated in a 2024 CNAS report, Swarms Over the Strait: Drone Warfare in a Future Fight to Defend Taiwan.
Defense
Countering the Swarm
After decades of air dominance and a near monopoly on precision strike, the United States now faces a dramatically different, more hostile world as the proliferation of cheap ...
Transatlantic Security
Drones over Poland with Doug Lute and Kurt Volker
In the early hours of September 10th, Polish authorities detected 19 Russian drones over Polish airspace. This incident represents a major escalation, with Poland triggering A...
Defense
Drone Proliferation Dataset
The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) Drone Proliferation Dataset tracks global transfers of military-grade aerial drones, regardless of size and capability, between 1...
Commentary
Analysis from Stacie Pettyjohn, Eric Schmidt, Greg Grant, and Molly Campbell
Defense
‘Spider’s Web’ Warning: The U.S. Must Prioritize Drone Defense to Avoid Russia’s Fate
This attack is wake-up call for US military: its counter-drone efforts are inadequate and are not keeping pace with the threat....
Defense
The Dawn of Automated Warfare
Drone-on-drone battle is now a central part of the war....
In the News
Insights from Stacie Pettyjohn, Jim Townsend, and Samuel Bendett
Defense
How Did the World’s Most Sophisticated Military Fall So Far Behind With Drone Warfare?
When the Pentagon announced a “joint interagency task force” in July to bring the U.S. military up to speed on drone warfare, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. James Mingus...
Transatlantic Security
‘The U.S. Has Got to Get Involved’: Townsend on NATO Boosting Polish Air Defences
Jim Townsend, adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, discusses what actions NATO countries need to take amidst Russia’s incursions of NATO airspace.W...
Defense
Taiwan Looks to New Sea-Drone Tech to Repel China
Taiwan is accelerating efforts to develop a high-tech fleet of naval drones that military planners see as a potential game-changer in the island’s ability to fend off a possib...
Transatlantic Security
The Ukraine War Accelerates the International Drone Arms Race
Russian drones entered Polish airspace early on Wednesday, leading NATO aircraft to shoot them down. This incident was the first time that NATO forces had to directly engage R...
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