The Cheap Drone Is a Supply-Chain Illusion: Who Controls the Age of Attritable Warfare?
Low-cost drones have transformed military economics but have not eliminated industrial power, which now lies in the complex supply chains behind components. Successful warfare requires “replenishment sovereignty,” enabling rapid replacement of lost drones. Ukraine, the U.S., Taiwan, and Iran illustrate varied strategies for managing dependency on critical inputs in attritable warfare.Drone supply-chain sovereignty is the ability to replace unmanned capability at wartime speed without unacceptable dependence on foreign-controlled components, software, materials, or production tools. It requires platform assembly, trusted component access, secure software and data paths, rapid substitution, and surge production.
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