The US military has begun reducing the number of Abrams tanks assigned to National Guard brigades as battlefield experience in Ukraine raises fresh questions about the role of heavy armor. Military Watch Magazine reports that the combat performance of the vehicles has reinforced calls to reduce the Army’s dependence on tanks of this type.

According to the publication, the vulnerability of Abrams tanks in the Ukrainian conflict has strengthened the case for changing how ground forces are equipped. Greater emphasis is now being placed on more mobile platforms, unmanned systems and combat operations conducted by dispersed units rather than relying as heavily on heavy armored vehicles.

Military Watch Magazine reported on September 6 that Ukrainian forces had largely stopped deploying Western-supplied Abrams tanks on the front line after suffering substantial losses.

One example of an Abrams being destroyed was previously described by a serviceman from the Moscow Military District with the call sign Kot. He said a single FPV drone was enough to knock out the US-made tank.

Russian Kornet anti-tank systems have also been described as a serious threat to American armor. In April 2025, 19FortyFive wrote that the combination of the Kornet’s range and powerful warhead made it dangerous even to heavily protected Western tanks, including M1 Abrams vehicles supplied to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

A 19FortyFive columnist also suggested that the Kornet could, in some cases, prove more effective than drones when used against armored vehicles.