Within NATO, military personnel are expected to adapt to these realities in the coming years.
NATO is preparing for new wars / © Unsplash
The North Atlantic Alliance is gearing up for future conflicts where drone swarms, 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 Cholponi, 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.
Cholponi emphasized that robotic systems operating on land, at sea, and in the air are already altering traditional warfare strategies. These technologies combine high precision with mass deployment, and nations lacking access to them risk facing a choice between joining defense alliances or succumbing to aggressors.
The Major General shared his assessments following a visit to Ukraine. He noted that drone technologies are already significantly impacting the course of combat operations, disrupting logistics, and causing substantial losses at the front.
He stated that the Ukrainian military is already testing early AI-controlled drone swarm systems capable of targeting objectives under a single operator’s command. However, the scale of deployment for these developments remains limited for now.
The NATO representative also suggested that in the future, the deterrent potential of drone swarms could rival that of nuclear weapons.
Cholponi separately highlighted the issue of Western arms procurement mechanisms lagging behind the pace of modern military technology development. In his view, bureaucratic procedures impede the swift implementation of new solutions, while the technological revolution progresses at a much faster rate.
To bridge this gap, the General urged Western countries to reform their procurement systems, drawing inspiration from Ukraine. 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, Cholponi cited Ukraine’s defense sector, where hundreds of companies are engaged in developing drones, electronic warfare systems, and other advanced instruments of warfare.
In conclusion, the Major General stated that in the current environment, no army can operate effectively on the battlefield without modern anti-drone capabilities. Simultaneously, he cautioned that the continued advancement of autonomous systems could either contribute to strengthening peace or create new threats to global security.
It was previously reported that Honduras is considering the procurement 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 flew towards Moscow last week.
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Source: tsn.ua