13:47 17-09-2025

Ben Hodges: NATO Unprepared for Drone Threat After Poland Incident

Ex-U.S. Army commander Ben Hodges says the Poland drone incident proves NATO is unready to defend its airspace, shooting down just 3 of 19 drones in 11 years.

Retired U. S. Army General Ben Hodges, former commander of American forces in Europe, said that the recent drone incident in Poland clearly demonstrated NATO’s inability to defend its own airspace against unmanned threats.

Hodges noted that the alliance is still not prepared for the kind of drone attacks Ukrainians face every night. Despite Ukraine’s extensive experience in repelling drone raids, he pointed out that NATO’s response was simply to scramble fighter jets.

The general contrasted NATO’s approach with Ukraine’s, saying that while Ukrainians use compact, specialized systems to counter drones, NATO sends F-16s and F-35s into the air — a reaction he sees as inefficient and inadequate.

According to Hodges, this shows that NATO member states are not ready to face the type of challenges Ukraine deals with daily.

He concluded with a grim reminder: the war has been going on for eleven years, yet NATO remains unprepared to shoot down drones — having destroyed only 3 out of 19 during this entire period.