2/ Western militaries—trained for Iraq, Afghanistan, & “traditional” wars—are unprepared for the drone swarm battlefields of Ukraine. In their arrogance, they think Ukraine's situation is something they will never have to face. 🎥imagine if these 🇨🇳drones were armed 😱⤵️

3/ The warning comes from American Deborah Fairlamb in @HJS_Org's report, "European Defense Autonomy: Identifying Key Companies & Products to Replace U.S. Capabilities" by @DVKirichenko. Kyiv-based Fairlamb is co-founder of @greenflagvc, funding Ukrainian mil-tech. ⤵️

4/ The awareness gap is deadly. U.S. veterans who’ve seen Ukraine say Western armies don’t understand: ⦿ drone swarms: land, air, sea ⦿ electronic warfare everywhere ⦿ battlefield adaptation in days, not years Meanwhile, procurement offices cling to 20th-century habits. ⤵️

5/ Arguments in Washington & Brussels often sound like this: ➡️ “Traditional defense systems are superior.” ➡️ “We won’t fight that way.” Both are illusions. Russia & China will fight with unmanned systems—and in vast numbers. ⤵️

6/ This isn’t just about Ukraine. The US demands Europe must carry more weight. That means: —closing capability gaps —integrating drones & counter-drone tech —fusing old and new systems fast To do so, Europe must learn from 'Lab Ukraine,' while also supporting Ukraine. ⤵️

7/ The report reviewed by Fairlamb ends with 11 clear policy recommendations. Its audience: ministries of defense, parliaments, and general staffs across Europe. Its urgency: Every lesson comes from blood on Ukraine’s fields. China is watching. Are we? ⤵️

8/ Read the full report here: https://henryjacksonsociety.or... And follow me for daily insights from on the ground in Ukraine. 🧵🎬

thanks also to @mykkuzmin and @DVKirichenko for writing this report! coming soon—a digest of their observations

@JPLindsley Two years ago when US defense CEO's met with Zelenskyi, they all had fear in their eyes. Because I worked for a defense contractor, I immediately knew this meant that they realized their weapons are not up to par. Find that video, you will see what I mean.

@lisaborel if you have that video, please send!

@JPLindsley I retired from the U.S. Army after almost two decades in uniform, and for the last 3½ years I’ve been on Ukraine’s front as a volunteer combat advisor—training over 5,000 soldiers across 22 brigades. What we face here is a new reality. FPV strike drones and recon birds hunt

@JPLindsley While the end of the fourth year in the great ruzzian war against Ukraine is coming, the West still fails to understand Ruscism and the “awareness gap is deadly” Thanks for another reminder by @JPLindsley

@JPLindsley Yes! The West is not ready. But the answer is hidden in Will. Do we want to be ready?

@JPLindsley The US military has done an overall poor job trying to learn from the Americans who are here fighting and what they have learned. The reality is a lot of the leadership of foreign teams here is American. Some of them are brilliant. These would be the best possible people to teach

@JPLindsley A few days after the drone incursion into Poland, NATO had an exercise in Lithuania which involved airborne troops parachuting as if it's still 1956.

@JPLindsley It certainly isn’t. Ukraine is our front line now and they are way ahead of us. Our most competent and ready fighting force. Our duty is therefore to provide them with everything they need, material and monetary, because they are fighting for us. Oh, and learn from them… fast

@JPLindsley Please advise President Trump to partner with Ukraine instead of Russia. Ukraine holds immense potential in technology, warfare, and the economy, and it serves as a crucial guardian of Eastern Europe. Don’t miss this opportunity.

@JPLindsley Met an old warrior who came back to Denmark after having fought in Ukraine. Shot in the head, splinters all his back. He’s fought as an elite for 40 years and he said he’s never going back, with drones your skill means nothing. Only 2 out 33 of his group survived.

@JPLindsley Those who fail to learn from Ukraine NOW will pay the price in the future!

@JPLindsley Son just met with military medic buddy, who just came back from 3 mos tour in eastern Ukraine, where he was paitred with 2 Americans. Canadian medic said the horror show living in bombed out basements, was treating 80% drone injuries and the rest artillery. Rarely saw gunshot

@JPLindsley True but if Ukraine had air superiority and could drop bombs on Moscow, things would be very different

@JPLindsley It's law of nature if you don't adapt or evolve you simply die, west can learn a lot from Ukraine.

@JPLindsley It's simply not true... NATO is prepare to bomb factories, energy facilities etc. to stop drone production. Nothing is gonna stop them from that. Currently Ukraine is able to destroying critical infra with some primitive long-range drones, Flamingos and Neptunes.

@JPLindsley It is very alarming. Especially when US has had hi-tech drones for decades, keeping the expensive few, rather than the cheap many doctrine. Now we are rapidly moving into massive AI drone swarms, that will be even more deadly. Will anyone be safe? God forbid that terrorists

@JPLindsley Thanks JP, great post. And what if there isn’t a traditional “front line”? What if bad actors decide to take out a U.S. city like say Las Vegas & pre-position drones in empty warehouses, semi-trailers & rental houses all over the city & near Nellis AF Base and launch them all at

@JPLindsley Ukraine is fighting this war for all Western countries. Russia must be totally destroyed. If we don’t defeat Russia in Ukraine, we will be fighting them everywhere.

@JPLindsley You are absolutely correct. Remember who is now running the US military, moron Hegseth under corrupt Trump who is advised by a group of fifth column Putinoids like Elbridge Colby.

@JPLindsley Umm, we, the US/West spent $ Trillions to assure we would NEVER be 'out there'. A10's, Apache's, F15s and B52s would scorched Earth that battle field, nothing left but Russian 'red mist' in less than '48 hours'.

@JPLindsley Is the Leonidas microwave cannon a viable anti-drone system? https://x.com/Defence_Index/st...

@JPLindsley Evolution says the following: if you not doing your evolving and development work - you will die and you deserve it.

@JPLindsley US Airforce would knock out every drone factory of every adversary and its logistics in less than 48 hrs. Then deal with the inventory in the field. And if your warfighting is based on drones, thats it, you are finished.

@JPLindsley The future of wars is such that millions of troops, extreme training in water, carrying around logs basically muscle has no place in future warfare. Its now remote replaced with 1 man behind a screen with a joystick. Its happening in my lifetime.@grok predict warfare in 2080.

@JPLindsley Well the US may not be, and after watching that shambles ogf a military patade, that doesn't surprise me.However the 'West' doesn't stop at the borders of America.