The nature of warfare has changed—and drones are at the center of that transformation.Once used primarily for surveillance and precision strike, unmanned systems have moved to the heart of modern conflict. In Ukraine, inexpensive reconnaissance and attack drones hunt armor, direct artillery, strike infrastructure, and make concealment increasingly difficult. At sea, uncrewed vessels are challenging traditional naval power. Around the world, militaries are racing to develop counter-drone defenses, autonomous systems, resilient communications, and swarms capable of operating at unprecedented scale.THE DRONE WAR examines what this transformation means for the United States and for the men and women who will lead in the wars ahead.Drawing on battlefield experience, military history, emerging technology, electronic warfare, maritime operations, industrial capacity, China’s growing capabilities, Taiwan’s defense challenge, and the rapid advance of artificial intelligence, Geoffrey B. Voigt explores a fundamental shift in warfare: the growing power of inexpensive, expendable systems produced in vast numbers to challenge some of the world’s most sophisticated weapons.But this is not simply a book about machines.It is about leadership, judgment, preparation, ethics, and the changing responsibilities of military officers as decisions once made entirely by humans are increasingly shared with autonomous systems.The question is no longer whether drones will change warfare. They already have.The question is whether the United States—and those entrusted with defending it—will adapt quickly enough for the war that comes next. Read more
