High-end, long-range combat drones like the MQ-1 Predator can fly for thousands of miles and strike adversaries from far away. They are also extremely expensive—one MQ1 costs $20 million—and manufacturing takes time.
Such drones are in short supply in Russia, creating a gap in Russian military capabilities. But Russia has adapted. This episode examines Russian use of cheap commercial and foreign-made drones in Ukraine—how this impacts dynamics on the ground and what this may reveal about the broader Russian war effort.
Related Resources
Guest Biography
Samuel Bendett is an Advisor with CNA’s Russia Studies Program. His research focuses on Russian defense and technology developments; uncrewed, robotic, and autonomous military systems; artificial intelligence; and Russian military capabilities. His analysis of Russia’s war against Ukraine has appeared in globally-read news outlets such as VICE and The Washington Post.
Further Reading
CNA Report: Russia’s Use of Uncrewed Systems in Ukraine
For decades, competition between the United States and Russia has defined strategic deterrence. But as China emerges as the greatest rival to the United States, it is worth examining how Beijing views the concept.
In this episode we examine how China’s military and civilian analysts are writing about strategic deterrence, and how new technologies and domains impact their perception.
Guest Biographies
Brian Waidelich is a Research Scientist with CNA’s Indo-Pacific Security Affairs division. His research focuses on focuses on Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) organization and Indo-Pacific maritime and space security issues.
Timothy Ditter is a Research Scientist with CNA’s China Studies Program. His work covers PLA amphibious warfare, China’s military modernization and expansion, China’s growing nuclear weapons program, and China’s nascent global military presence.
Further Reading
CNA Report: PRC Writings on Strategic Deterrence
CNA Report: Artificial Intelligence in Nuclear Operations