The first lesson Iran's regime might learn is that war fosters innovation, especially when countries must operate under constraints. Even before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow and Tehran were already working together militarily.
For Western militaries, the most crucial takeaway from this conflict is unmistakable: a combination of battlefield experience and cutting-edge counter-drone technology is essential for achieving a decisive advantage in modern warfare.
Number one is speed takes priority over perfection. We can iterate to get to operational capability. And the second is that early soldier feedback is critical in order to make sure we're getting the right technology for the future fight, and then we want to be able to prove the demand signal before we spend big dollars on programs.
Drones that map disaster zones and scout military targets exemplify dual-use technologies that cater to both civilian and military purposes. Upcoming European Commission funding will support such innovations.
"Other ships have PlayStations and Xboxes down on the mess deck so they can play where they live, but this is the first ship that's got a PC setup like this."
