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NATO: Drones and AI are fundamentally changing the balance of power in modern warfare

2026-05-19 22:07:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

NATO: Drones and AI are fundamentally changing the balance of power in modern

Drones and artificial intelligence are fundamentally changing the conditions and balances of modern warfare. This was stated by the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, at a joint press conference with the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, US General Alex Grinkewitz.

Answering questions about the lessons learned from the war in Ukraine and the use of artificial intelligence and drones on the battlefield, the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee said that the emphasis is now shifting from the weapons systems themselves to the speed of decision-making, information management and the immediate view of the field of operations.

According to him, drones are a kind of revolution on the battlefield and assessed that in the near future they will be the first means to be involved in a military confrontation.

"What we are learning essentially is that they are significantly reducing the time. The entire targeting and attack cycle can now take minutes, or even seconds. They locate, track, analyze and identify the target. Then the attack is carried out, new information is collected and this immediately feeds the next operation. All of this happens within seconds and this is the result of artificial intelligence and drones. The big thing is that the time is being reduced dramatically," said the chairman of the NATO Military Committee.

When asked about the serious incident with the Ukrainian surface drone that was found unmanned in the Ionian Sea and whether NATO is prepared to deal with this form of warfare, which endangers the safety of navigation in the Mediterranean, the Alliance's top official said that such practices are typical when smaller states try to confront larger powers.

“You could call it unconventional warfare, it’s characteristic of confrontations and especially when smaller countries face off against larger powers. I’m not making excuses for anyone, I just think that if I were in their shoes, I would try to make the most of the tools at my disposal. Issues of sovereignty and all these related problems are issues that we leave to politicians to manage ,” he said.

On the other hand, the head of NATO's Supreme Research and Development Authority, Admiral Pierre Vandier, emphasized that the most important lesson of the war in Ukraine is the need for rapid technological adaptation.

"We are moving from a static system, where designing and deploying equipment took years, to a model where adaptation can happen overnight ," he said, noting that modern operations are now becoming data-centric and software-centric.

According to him, Ukraine's experience shows that military power no longer depends only on the weapon system platforms themselves, but primarily on data management, software and the speed of adaptation on the battlefield. He emphasized that Ukrainian industry developed in a short period of time a particularly flexible model of drone and software production, capable of instantly adapting to the needs of the field.

Vandier noted that the Ukrainian drones have a direct feedback system via QR code, allowing soldiers to send usage data directly to the manufacturing companies, which can improve the software within days or weeks. He added that the modern soldier now relies on mobile phone apps and digital tools that provide real-time information and operational capabilities in the field. /CNA