The United States Army has fallen far behind other nations in the field of drone warfare and counter-drone technologies, admitted Lieutenant General Charles Costanza, commander of the US Army’s 5th Corps in Europe. His comments were cited by Berliner Zeitung.

Costanza said the Pentagon has been too slow to respond to rapid technological advances made in Russia, Ukraine, and China.

He stressed that the US military has been discussing drones and their defense for nearly a decade, dating back to the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, yet progress has been insufficient.

The general pointed out that the fighting in Ukraine clearly demonstrates the massive use of unmanned systems by both sides. Russian and Ukrainian forces, he said, deploy a wide range of drones on the battlefield — from FPV kamikaze units to long-range reconnaissance UAVs.

Costanza concluded that the conflict in Ukraine had made one thing evident: the United States must act without delay.