Recent Publications - Tag Drones

Book Review: The Russian-Ukrainian War, 2023: A Second Year of Hell and the Dawn of Drone Warfare
February 17, 2026 — In the brutal second year of Russia’s invasion, Ukraine faced relentless assaults while pioneering the battlefield use of drones in a desperate bid for survival. Retired General John S. Harrel delivers a gripping account of mechanized warfare’s evolution, where unmanned aerial vehicles reshaped tactics from the trenches to the Black Sea. This vivid chronicle captures the chaos, innovation, and global reverberations of a war that redefined modern combat... MORE

Cover of The Russian-Ukrainian War, 2023: A Second Year of Hell and the Dawn of Drone Warfare

A Human-Centric Framework: Employment Principles for Lethal Autonomous Weapons
January 12, 2026 — As lethal autonomous weapon systems become a battlefield reality, the Department of War must establish unambiguous employment criteria to allow war fighters to use these controversial systems ethically and responsibly. The updated policy should shift the conversation from the weapon system to humans by defining pre-deployment judgment and emphasizing accountability... MORE

Slide for A Human-Centric Framework: Employment Principles for Lethal Autonomous Weapons

Parameters | Winter 2025–26
December 17, 2025 — Welcome to the Winter 2025–26 issue of Parameters, which consists of an In Focus special commentary, two forums (Indo-Pacific Deterrence and Considerations for Modern Warfare), and the new Strategic Competition Corner... MORE

Technology and Warfare
September 17, 2024 — In this episode, COL Thomas Spahr and Zach Kallenborn discuss technology and warfare and what practitioners and leaders can learn from America’s past wars and the Russia-Ukraine War. ... MORE

On Emerging Technologies and Terrorism: An American Perspective
July 3, 2024 — Colonel Eric Hartunian and Lieutenant Colonel Paul Milas, co-editors with Susan Sims of Emerging Technologies and Terrorism: An American Perspective, discuss their newly published collaborative study from the US Army War College Press. The publication focuses on how terrorists may exploit emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomous systems,... MORE

On Drones in Conflict
February 22, 2024 — In this episode, Colonel Paul Lushenko, PhD, discusses drones and their use in Gaza and Ukraine. Lushenko is a faculty instructor, and director of special operations in the Department of Military Strategy, Planning, and Operations at the US Army War College. His most recent book, The Legitimacy of Drone Warfare: Evaluating Public Perceptions, was published by Routledge in January 2024... MORE

On “Countering Terrorism on Tomorrow’s Battlefield and Critical Infrastructure Security and Resiliency”
May 10, 2023 — In this episode of Conversations on Strategy, Lucas Cox shares his thoughts on being an intern working on two collaborative studies for NATO. ... MORE

Countering Terrorism on Tomorrow’s Battlefield (NATO COE-DAT Handbook 2)
February 23, 2023 — Conversations on Strategy, Conversations on Strategy Podcast, Dr. Sarah J. Lohmann... MORE

Underestimated Our Not So Peaceful Nuclear Future
May 5, 2022 — Does it matter if more countries have nuclear weapons? Will the weaponization of space make nuclear weapons less of a threat or even obsolete? In this podcast, author Henry D. Sokolski gives an overview of his monograph, Underestimated: Our Not So Peaceful Nuclear Future, and explores potential future nuclear trends. ... MORE

“The Coercive Logic of Militant Drone Use”
July 27, 2021 — While unmanned aerial systems can serve as a force multiplier for militants, these systems do not embody a transformation in modern insurgent warfare or enable militants to engage regularly in strategic coercion. Instead, drone use is consistent with a militant group’s relative capabilities and broader strategic objectives. Consequently, these... MORE

Armed Robotic Systems Emergence: Weapons Systems Life Cycles Analysis and New Strategic Realities
November 14, 2017 — Author: Dr Robert J BunkerView the Executive Summary Armed robotic systems—drones and droids—now emerging on the battlefield portend new strategic realities not only for U.S. forces but also for our allies and future potential belligerents. Numerous questions of immediate warfighting importance come to mind with the fielding of these drones and... MORE

A Typology of Arguments about Drone Ethics
October 10, 2017 — Author: Dr Mary ManjikianView the Executive Summary Many different actors oppose the use of unmanned autonomous weapons (UAV’s) from adversary states, to international governmental organizations to policymakers and academics. However, the basis for their opposition varies, as do the assumptions behind their arguments. This Letort Paper lays out... MORE