Latest news with #BryanFenton
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion: How warfare is changing
Are U.S. military leaders preparing to fight the last war, or a modern one with drones, deception and surprise attacks? If nothing else, Ukraine's attack on Russia last weekend has cast a light on how the world is changing. Wars of the future could come down to which nation has the sneakiest, smallest and most AI-ready lethal drones. Kateryna Bondar, a fellow with the Wadhwani AI Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former adviser to Ukraine, wrote recently that Ukraine's 'objective is to remove warfighters from direct combat and replace them with autonomous unmanned systems.' It's AI in the sky. Autonomous drones are much harder to track and destroy than ones operated remotely. Ukraine's 'Operation Spider's Web' reportedly took 18 months of planning and preparation. It involved smuggling a multitude of small drones into storage compartments on freight trucks that delivered them to spots near air bases all over Russia. When launched, these apparently were able to destroy many of Russia's long-range bombers at close range. That kind of unconventional attack is asymmetrical, as the Washington Post noted on Wednesday. It quoted Army Gen. Bryan Fenton, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, telling Congress in April: The 'character of warfare is changing at a ratio faster than we've ever seen. Our adversaries use $10,000 one-way drones that we shoot down with $2 million missiles. That cost-benefit curve is upside down.' The audacity of this mission was reminiscent of Israel's complicated scheme to put explosive pagers and walkie-talkies into the hands of top Hezbollah leaders. But then, as a colleague reminded me, these were not much different than the 9/11 attacks against the U.S., which required years of infiltration and training, including learning how to fly commercial jets. Nor were they much different from the time, millennia ago, when mythology holds that Greeks hid soldiers inside a wooden horse they gave to the city of Troy, allowing a deadly attack from within. Innovation, creativity and the element of surprise have long been essential to warfare. The difference now is in lethality and the use of artificial intelligence. News reports say Ukraine claims its drones were operating in autonomous mode. Author Robert Greene discusses 'fighting the last war' as the tendency to repeat the tactics, strategies and assumptions that were valid during the previous war, not realizing that the world has changed. The Post quotes Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colorado, a member of the House Armed Services and Intelligence committees, as saying the war between Russia and Ukraine has shown how wrong the U.S. is in its planning. 'This conflict has already fundamentally changed the nature of warfare,' the Post quotes Crow as saying, adding that the U.S. spends 'exorbitant amounts of money' on things 'that would be relevant decades ago.' Here in the United States, the conflict may seem worlds away. Europe, however, is much more concerned. Sweden, for example, is renovating and modernizing its approximately 64,000 civil defense bunkers, spread all over the country. Britain's Daily Mail said these, which are capable of sheltering about 7 million people (in a nation of 10.5 million), are being upgraded to protect against nuclear weapons, radioactive fallout and biological and chemical weapons. Neighboring Finland, which has a large border with Russia, has joined Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in withdrawing from a treaty that prohibited the use of landmines, just in case it may need to repel an invasion. The Mail also said Germany is considering conscripting people into the armed services, saying it needs an additional 100,000 soldiers to defend against a Russian attack on NATO, which its chief of defense believes could come within four years. Writing this week for Bloomberg, Aliaksandr Kudrytski, Jake Rudnitsky and Olesia Safronova said drones are threatening to flip the script in Ukraine and elsewhere. 'Taiwan is investing in mass-produced drones in anticipation of a possible conflict with China. Israel has recalibrated the Iron Dome air defense system in the war in Gaza to account for maneuverable drones — one of its biggest blind spots. European governments embarking on their largest rearmament since the Cold War have identified drones and counter-drone systems as an investment priority.' Even the United States is looking for cheaper drones, rather than the expensive, over-engineered ones it helped pioneer. The Atlantic Council recently surveyed more than 350 experts and found 40% of them expecting a global war within the next decade. An optimist would note that experts seldom are right about much of anything. But a realist would say it's good to be prepared, in any event, and especially for the type of war the future may bring.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
VA secretary to testify on department budget needs, workforce cuts
Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins will make his first appearance since his confirmation before Congress this week, testifying before the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday about the fiscal 2026 budget. Collins' trip to Capitol Hill comes amid increasing frustration among Democratic lawmakers about department reform plans. The secretary has set a goal of reducing the VA workforce to less than 400,000 staffers, which would require eliminating more than 80,000 federal posts in the coming months. In response, Collins has accused Democrats of fear-mongering and supporting a broken bureaucracy. He has insisted that VA must be more efficient with taxpayer money, including reducing its worker footprint. How the secretary is received by the committee — and how much he spars with his former House colleagues — will set the tone for appearances before other congressional panels later this spring. Senate Armed Services — 9:30 a.m. — G-50 Dirksen Nominations The committee will consider several pending nominations, including Bradley D. Hansell to be under secretary of defense for intelligence and security. Senate Foreign Relations — 10 a.m. — 419 Dirksen Nominations The committee will consider several pending nominations, including Brandon Judd to be ambassador to Chile. House Armed Services — 10 a.m. — 2118 Rayburn European Command Gen. Christopher Cavoli, head of U.S. European Command, will testify on current threats and fiscal 2026 budget needs. House Appropriations — 10:30 a.m. — 2358-C Rayburn Military Quality of Life Service officials will testify on military quality of life challenges and improvements for military families. House Foreign Affairs — 2 p.m. — 2172 Rayburn Foreign Policy Outside advocates will testify on the change in foreign policy strategy from the last White House to the current administration. Senate Armed Services — 2:30 p.m. — G-50 Dirksen Special Operations Command Gen. Bryan Fenton, head of U.S. Special Operations Command, will testify on current force challenges and the fiscal 2026 budget request. Senate Armed Services — 2:30 p.m. — 222 Russell Nuclear Shipbuilding Naval officials will testify on the state of nuclear shipbuilding and future goals for the service. House Armed Services — 4 p.m. — 2212 Rayburn Biotechnology Members of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology will testify on their recent findings. House Armed Services — 8 a.m. — 2118 Rayburn Special Operations Command Gen. Bryan Fenton, head of U.S. Special Operations Command, will testify on current force challenges and the fiscal 2026 budget request. Senate Foreign Relations — 9:30 a.m. — 419 Dirksen Nominations The committee will consider several pending nominations. House Armed Services — 10 a.m. — 2118 Rayburn Indo-Pacific Command Adm. Samuel Paparo, head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and Gen. Xavier Brunson, head of U.S. Forces Korea, will testify on regional challenges. House Appropriations — 10 a.m. — 2362-B Rayburn VA Budget VA Secretary Doug Collins will testify on department reform plans and the fiscal 2026 budget request. House Foreign Affairs — 10 a.m. — 2172 Rayburn Pending Legislation The committee will consider several pending bills. House Veterans' Affairs — 10:30 a.m. — 360 Cannon Pending Legislation The subcommittee on economic opportunity will mark up several pending bills. House Veterans' Affairs — 1:30 p.m. — 360 Cannon Pending Legislation The subcommittee on memorial affairs will mark up several pending bills. House Veterans' Affairs — 2 p.m. — 360 Cannon Veterans' Disability Compensation Department officials will testify on delays in disability compensation claims. Senate Armed Services — 2:30 p.m. — 222 Russell Personnel Policies Service officials will testify on department personnel programs and the fiscal 2026 budget request. House Armed Services — 3:30 p.m. — 2118 Rayburn Strategic Forces Posture Gen. Anthony Cotton, head of U.S. Strategic Command, Gen. Gregory Guillot, head of U.S. Northern Command, and Gen. Stephen Whiting, head of U.S. Space Command, will testify on the military's strategic forces posture. Senate Armed Services — 3:30 p.m. — G-50 Dirksen Cyber Command Service officials will testify on current challenges for cyber command and the fiscal 2026 budget request. House Armed Services — 4 p.m. — 2212 Rayburn Military Food Programs Service officials will testify on current military food assistance programs. Senate Armed Services — 9:30 a.m. — G-50 Dirksen Indo-Pacific Command Adm. Samuel Paparo, head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and Gen. Xavier Brunson, head of U.S. Forces Korea, will testify on regional challenges.
