Within NATO, it is believed that the military must adapt to such realities in the coming years.
NATO is preparing for new wars / © Unsplash
The North Atlantic Alliance is gearing up for future conflicts where swarms of drones, capable of operating under the coordination of a unified artificial intelligence system, will be a key element.
This is reported by The Times, citing a statement from Major General Adrian Cholpoń, a representative of NATO’s Strategic Command for Transformation in Europe.
According to the military official, the next evolutionary step in drone technology will involve large-scale swarm operations, where thousands of drones will function as a single system controlled by one operator or a so-called “mother” drone.
Cholpoń emphasized that robotic systems operating on land, at sea, and in the air are already altering traditional warfare approaches. Such technologies combine high precision with mass deployment, and nations lacking access to them risk facing a choice between joining defense alliances or yielding to aggressors.
The Major General shared his assessments following a visit to Ukraine. He noted that unmanned technologies are already significantly impacting the course of hostilities, disrupting logistics, and causing substantial losses on the front lines.
He stated that the Ukrainian military is currently testing early AI-powered drone swarm systems that can target objectives under the guidance of a single operator. However, the scale of the deployment of such developments remains limited for now.
The NATO representative also suggested that in the future, the deterrence potential of drone swarms could approach the level of nuclear weapons.
Cholpoń separately highlighted the issue of Western arms procurement mechanisms lagging behind the pace of modern military technology development. In his opinion, bureaucratic procedures hinder the swift implementation of new solutions, while the technological revolution progresses much faster.
To bridge this gap, the general urged Western countries to reform their procurement systems, following Ukraine’s example. He believes the Alliance should more actively foster competition among manufacturers, establish military laboratories, and grant combat units greater autonomy in testing and acquiring new drone systems.
As an example, Cholpoń cited Ukraine’s defense sector, where hundreds of companies are engaged in developing drones, electronic warfare systems, and other modern warfare tools.
In conclusion, the Major General stated that in the current circumstances, no army can effectively operate on the battlefield without modern countermeasures against drones. Simultaneously, he cautioned that the continued advancement of autonomous systems could either contribute to strengthening peace or create new threats to global security.
Earlier reports indicated that Honduras is considering the purchase of Ukrainian drones to combat drug trafficking and enhance border control.
We previously informed that Russian officials are lamenting an unprecedented wave of UAVs that targeted Moscow last week.
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