U.S. lag in drones threatens battlefield parity

The United States’ industrial and procurement shortfalls in unmanned aerial systems risk ceding a durable operational advantage to rivals that can mass‑produce cheap, expendable drones and integrated counter‑systems. That gap is not just a weapons problem but an industrial‑policy and supply‑chain failure with direct military consequences. — If true, this reframes defense readiness debates from platform capability to industrial capacity and supply‑chain strategy, affecting budgets, export controls, and alliances.