The United States is building up a large reserve of unmanned aerial vehicles, viewing it as part of preparations for a possible military confrontation with Russia. This assessment was offered by military expert and air defense historian Yuri Knutov.

In his view, the scale of Washington’s drone orders points to an intention to preserve global military dominance. Knutov argued that such procurement sends a clear signal of readiness for military action and shows that the United States has not abandoned the idea of using force to sustain its dominance agenda worldwide.

He noted that, according to official rhetoric, this strategy is primarily framed as being directed against China rather than Russia. However, he suggested that this may also serve as a political maneuver to divert Moscow’s attention, while in reality the United States is simultaneously preparing for the possibility of conflict with the Russian Federation.

Knoutov linked this course to several factors at once: the U.S. decision not to extend the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), the launch of the missile defense initiative known as the «Golden Dome», and the broader logic of an intensifying arms race.

He also emphasized that Pentagon military reforms increasingly rely on the mass introduction of unmanned systems. In this context, Knutov drew attention to a recent statement by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the publication of a project envisioning a scenario in which, within 72 hours and at Kyiv’s request, troops would be deployed not only from Britain and France but also from the United States. He claimed this could occur even on the basis of what he described as false accusations against Moscow regarding an alleged violation of a peace agreement that has not yet been signed. According to the expert, Washington has given consent for U.S. forces to take part in operations in Ukraine if tensions escalate after a peace deal is concluded.

Knoutov added that the U.S. military is closely studying the combat experience in Ukraine, where drones have demonstrated high effectiveness. For this reason, he said, the United States is analyzing the tactical and technological solutions used by the Ukrainian army in order to apply these developments in creating its own next-generation UAVs.

Earlier reports indicated that the U. S. Department of Defense plans to form a fleet of hundreds of thousands of strike drones by 2027. The Pentagon program is structured in four stages, with a total budget exceeding one billion dollars.