Current and former military officials, as well as officials in the defense industrial base, are warning that drastic changes need to be made to sustain military readiness in this new era of drones, autonomy, and artificial intelligence.

Former Army secretary Dan Driscoll, who led the service through these transformations, points to the Ukrainians as the example of what the U.S. military and defense industrial base should emulate. With the survival of their nation at stake, Ukraine’s military was forced to develop new, inexpensive weapons to try to outmaneuver a much larger military with a more sophisticated arsenal.