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Ready, fire, aim: Pentagon cut workforce with little analysis before or since
The Navy wants next-generation munitions, so it’s spending millions on innovation hubs
Q&A with SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Frank Donovan
Cyber Force? Senator pushes to create service branch under the Army
Software patches from Army hackathon going straight to troops in CENTCOM
[SPONSORED] Indo-Pacific operations depend on strong logistics and sustainment at the edge
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Science & Tech
Thanks largely to robots, Ukraine is now talking about winning, not just surviving
Uncrewed and autonomous systems—and the willingness to adapt to them—have neutered Russian advantages.
Patrick Tucker
June 2, 2026
Ukraine
AI & Autonomy
Europe
Industry
By Patrick Tucker
Science & Technology Editor
June 2, 2026
Ukraine
AI & Autonomy
Europe
Industry
PRAGUE, Czech Republic –A small but growing number of European officials and analysts are saying what four years ago was unthinkable: Ukraine isn’t just surviving its grueling war with Russia, it is in some ways thriving and may even be on a path to victory.<br>This isn’t yet captured in headlines—for example, about last weekend’s barrage of Russian drones and missiles around Ukraine—but in the details, like how some 90 percent were intercepted.<br>Several long-term trends have shifted in Ukraine’s favor, and the core reason is its fierce focus on AI and robotics.<br>In the crucible of war, Ukraine has developed drones and ground robots that can hold territory—even take it back. Some are fully controlled by humans, like supply robots and medical-evacuation vehicles. But an increasing number are controlled in at least some aspects by dozens of AI products, from guidance packages on aerial drones to decision aids at the highest levels. Take the TFL-1 module, which can enable a one-way drone to function autonomously after a human has selected its target, reducing its susceptibility to jamming and other defenses. Its manufacturer, a Ukrainian company called The Fourth Law, says TFL-1 makes a drone four times more likely to hit its target.<br>Just as important as the tech are the new tactics. Given unusual latitude to experiment, Ukrainian fighters began to develop robot-forward infantry concepts, like combined-arms attacks by airborne and ground systems, “more than a year ago. Right now, we're massively starting to implement this,” said Davyd Aloian, deputy secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, the coordinating body on domestic and international security, in an interview.<br>Ukraine and its partners are also steaming ahead on new concepts for highly autonomous defenses against Russian drones, combining ISR sensors and AI to detect and identify enemy drones in less time and with more certainty.<br>“All of the systems are being linked with each other and with people” to create a distributed network with interceptor drones at various locations to be activated when needed, Aloian said. “One day we will have only like 10 guys who are just going to be responsible for approving interception. And it will automatically go direct to the target.”<br>The human operators will be dispersed as well. “Everything can be controlled from Kyiv, Lviv, from cities in other countries,” he said.<br>Ukraine’s advantages go beyond weapons and tactics. It is more willing than Russia—or even Kyiv’s Western backers—to rebuild its doctrine, acquisition, and resupply systems around autonomous warfare.<br>Countries that fail to follow...