The Realignment 588 | George M. Dougherty: Beyond "Unmanned": How Drones Are (and Aren't) Rewriting Warfare
Jan 6, 2026
George M. Dougherty, a military analyst and author of 'Beast in the Machine', explores the military revolution driven by robotics and AI. He argues that 'drones' are a misleading term, limiting our understanding of universal precision in warfare. Dougherty highlights how technological advancements empower small states and non-state actors to innovate faster than legacy forces. He warns against complacency and emphasizes the need for strategic literacy among civilians, urging a reevaluation of warfare’s complexities beyond just battlefield victories.
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Universal Precision Is Rewriting Battlefields
- Robotics and AI are causing a military revolution comparable to mechanization in WWI through a leap in weapon lethality called "universal precision."
- This 100–1000x increase in battlefield lethality suppresses maneuver and produces trench-like, attritional dynamics today.
Don't Call Them "Unmanned"
- Calling new systems "unmanned" traps thinking in old categories and blocks radical design imagination.
- Expect a Cambrian explosion of novel robotic systems that won't look like mechanized analogues.
Small Actors Sparked The Revolution
- The small armed quadrotor first rose to prominence not from a superpower but from ISIS and then Ukrainian improvisation.
- Azerbaijan also fielded a robotic-first war in 2020, showing small states can drive revolutions in warfare.
