Ukraine‘s ingenuity in Operation Spiderweb, last year’s drone attack against Russian fighter aircraft, was an “utterly eye-opening” moment for the United States, according to an official at U.S. Strategic Command.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the Washington Examiner that STRATCOM leaders spoke “among ourselves after that happened, exploring that” and it’s “something we still even talk about today.”
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Ukraine’s operation began with smuggling drones into Russian territory on a truck. Once the truck got to its intended location without the driver’s knowledge, the roof lifted, drones flew out, and dozens of Russian aircraft nearby were destroyed. The attack was so successful in part due to the element of surprise and the limited reaction time the Russians had, but it also demonstrated how a significantly undermanned opponent can destroy much more advanced and expensive weaponry with ingenuity.
Another STRATCOM official said, “Operation Spiderweb really showed how that kind of asymmetric capability that drones are changing that character of war. So what I can say is we are looking at specifically counter-UAS from both a policy and capability lens.”
“We’re working in the department and with policymakers to really get after, really enable our defenders to be able to take the actions necessary to protect our strategic assets,” the second official continued.
STRATCOM is the combatant command that leads the military’s nuclear triad — nuclear-capable bombers, submarines, and land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles. The command currently manages about 14 submarines, 400 ICBMs, and 140 bombers in its arsenal, the first official said.
They are “actively looking at ways to protect [nuclear command, control, and communication known as] NC3 infrastructure against every threat, specifically the emerging drone and counter[-drone] type,” the first official explained.
The operation made the U.S. armed forces, which have the most exquisite military equipment and technology, reckon with the possibility that an inferior but ingenious adversary could launch a devastating attack exploiting a vulnerability. It also underscores the importance of kinetic and nonkinetic counter-drone technology due to civilian airspace and urban population centers.
Earlier this year, there were unidentified drones caught flying over Barksdale Air Force Base, which is home to the B-52 Stratofortress bomber that is part of the air component of the nuclear triad.
There was no attack, but the unidentified drones showed how an attack could conceivably happen. There have been similar incidents in recent years over U.S. bases domestically.
Several current and former defense officials have acknowledged their concerns about a possible domestic drone attack, whether that’s in line with Operation Spiderweb or an attack on civilian targets.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told the Washington Examiner earlier this year, “If you think about the idea that you can containerize these so basically, this idea that a container shipping box anywhere in the world can open its lid, that’s not a particularly difficult concept. They exist. And then if you think about once that lid is open, that drone can act. It can get up in the air again through cell networks, so basically covered with coverage nearly globally.”
Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Q Brown Jr. said in July that Americans “should not be surprised” about such an attack if one were to occur.
The Washington Examiner traveled with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to visit Offutt Air Force Base, the home of U.S. Strategic Command headquarters, on Monday. Undersecretary of War for Research and Engineering Emil Michael and Undersecretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael Duffey traveled with the secretary.
Following a classified briefing by STRATCOM officials, Hegseth and Sens. Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Pete Ricketts (R-NE) addressed hundreds of STRATCOM employees, military and civilian. Hegseth then led a reenlistment ceremony.
Afterward, the group of Pentagon leaders departed Nebraska for Oshkosh Defense, a defense company located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. While there, he test-drove its Joint Light Tactical Vehicle on the practice course.
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The group toured the manufacturing plant and the secretary addressed the workers. It was his latest stop on his “Arsenal of Freedom” tour, where he visits manufacturing plants across the country to talk to local employees about the importance of their efforts as the department seeks to expand production and capacity.
The Pentagon is seeking to expand the defense industrial base and its production. While the broad mission began before the U.S. war against Iran, the U.S. military expended significant numbers of expensive munitions that will take years to replace and exceed prior levels. The department is also pushing nontraditional companies to enter the defense industrial base and has sought to cut through bureaucracies that historically made it difficult for small and new companies to break through and get Pentagon contracts.
