Ukraine's battle-hardened drone fleet just schooled NATO in war games

A senior NATO commander revealed the alliance is using Ukrainian forces and their combat-proven drone technology as the 'red team' in military exercises. Admiral Pierre Vandier stated this is done to 'trigger an adaptation cycle' within NATO, directly incorporating Ukraine's real-world battlefield experience against Russia into alliance training and doctrine development.

The tactic appears highly effective. Ukraine's Ministry of Defense claimed its forces, using unmanned surface vessels (USVs), defeated NATO members in all five combat scenarios during the 2025 REPMUS exercises off Portugal. This shift acknowledges that modern warfare, especially amphibious operations, is now dominated by drone swarms, forcing NATO to rapidly adapt its defensive strategies or risk obsolescence.