James Acuna on Modern Warfare, Drones & Ukraine Lessons | Delfi Lithuania

Modern warfare is undergoing a fundamental transformation driven by drone technology, as evidenced by the conflict in Ukraine. While AI and automated systems are often cited as the future of combat, the effectiveness of drone operations relies primarily on the specialized skill and real-time decision-making of human pilots. Intelligence agencies, including the CIA, face significant challenges in verifying state capabilities, such as Iran’s nuclear progress, necessitating a "trust but verify" approach. For Baltic nations, the proximity to Russian military infrastructure demands an urgent shift from traditional, slow-moving procurement cycles toward agile, drone-integrated defense strategies. Former CIA officer James Acuna emphasizes that understanding the cultural and operational realities of these threats is as critical as the hardware itself, warning that relying solely on expensive, static defense systems may leave nations vulnerable to evolving, low-cost aerial threats.