The American army has started one of its deepest transformations since the Cold War. At the heart of change: drones, which showed their formidable efficiency in Ukraine. Faced with this unmissable new weapon, Canada is lying down, say experts.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
What transformation is waiting for the American army?
A memorandum from the Secretary of Defense unveiled this week traces the main lines of a plan to “win on a battlefield that evolves quickly”.
The army will therefore invest $ 36 billion in five years to modernize its weapons. By the end of 2026, each of the ten active divisions of the Army will be equipped with 1000 drones.
PHOTO ALEX KRAUS, ARCHIVES BLOOMBERG
American soldiers manipulating a drone during a joint military exercise with NATO, last September in Hohenfels, Germany in Germany
“Am I surprised? No, “drops the ex-chief of the Canadian army at the end of the Canadian Army Andrew Leslie. “Will this technology allow soldiers to protect their lives and complicate the life of the enemy?” Yes. All Western armed forces should spend much more than they are currently doing it in drones. »»
The directive of the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, is not trivial. Newsweek Note that this is the most important change of equipment in the army since the adoption, in the late 1970s, of “Big Five”: Abraham tanks, Bradley M2/M3 vehicles, Apache combat helicopters, Black Hawk helicopters and the Sol-Air Patriot missile system.
What have we learned from drones in Ukraine?
The American turn follows directly from the teachings of the Ukrainian theater. Because if the drone had played a crucial-and noticed-role-in the Second War of Haut-Karabakh in 2020, Ukraine represents a turning point.
“It is not the end of the missiles, not the end of fighter planes or artillery. But this is a complement that we cannot do without, unless you want to lose war, ”sums up Justin Massie, director of the UQAM political science department and defense expert.
In Ukraine, drones play an essential role of recognition. They are also used as shells to hit the enemy. “Ukraine manages to hold because it has managed to make mass drones, because it lacked ammunition,” adds Massie.
PHOTO IRYNA RYBAKOVA, ARCHIVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
Ukrainian soldier piloting a drone sheltered in a bunker on the Kostiantynivka front last April last April
-The Ukrainian theater has revealed the importance of smaller drones, produced in large quantities and which are changed quickly to thwart enemy protections. Ukraine would have produced more than two million of these drones in 2024 only.
“It leads the armies to have drones, but also antidron capacities,” adds Justin Massie.
What would a private drone army look like today? “Imagine if we found ourselves during the First World War and suddenly we see aircraft and we are unable to answer,” illustrates Philippe Lagassé, associate professor at Carleton University, specialist in defense issues.
Is Canada late?
Yes, Canada suffers from a significant delay in this area, say our three experts, all showing the system of acquisition of the Canadian Armed Forces. It is far too slow “to allow the armed forces to acquire new technologies quickly”, summarizes Philippe Lagassé.
We still live with an industrial age acquisition system. And if we do not adapt, we will miss essential technologies, such as drones or in computer science.
Philippe Lagassé, associate professor at Carleton University
“Our approach to drones is with drones ten years ago … Large platforms that surveillance at long distance, which are very expensive,” adds Mr. Lagassé. We have not yet really developed a way of integrating small drones that are not expensive, which are designed quickly and that we lose quickly. »»
For the moment, Canada has developed antidron capacities – which are also essential – for its mission in Latvia, where there are rotation nearly 2,000 Canadian soldiers.
“In Latvia, we bought an antidrone system, but what we see in Ukraine is that technology evolves so quickly that you have to be constantly in innovation and the production of new types,” said Justin Massie.
The Canadian government must as soon as possible to establish partnerships with Canadian companies, believe our experts, to develop continuous drones rather than simply buy drones abroad. “It must be done with us, it would be crazy to do it elsewhere,” said Mr. Massie. Here we have an aerospace industry and an artificial intelligence industry. »»
Will there be a Carney effect?
In his electoral program, Prime Minister Mark Carney is committed to “expanding our drone fleet”. Although this wish remains vague, as is the budget that accompanies it, it delights Andrew Leslie.
“I suspect that there will be significant changes, in particular because Mr. Carney is a real globalist with a better understanding of what is happening in the world, and he has a perspective on life broader than the former Prime Minister,” said the ex-numéro one of the army.
“The Canadian Armed Forces have not invested significantly in drones, not because they did not want to,” he adds, “but because they did not have the government’s money. »»
