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Time of India
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Ukraine's drone swarm attack was a warning for Russia and the US may be next
No shelter at home Live Events Drone warfare, democratized Homeland incursions and sleeper threats China's fortress, America's exposure 'We're not even close' The budget tug-of-war (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Ukraine's surprise drone strike on Russian airbases has shaken US defence leaders into acknowledging a grave risk — America's own airfields could be hit just as easily.'It's an eyebrow-raising moment,' said Gen. David Allvin, US Air Force Chief of Staff , at a Washington defence conference this week. 'Right now, I don't think it's where we need to be.'Ukraine's attack damaged or destroyed at least 12 Russian warplanes on June 1, including strategic bombers. Ukrainian officials claimed 41 aircraft were targeted in total. Their method was both simple and alarming: commercial-style drones were hidden inside wooden mobile houses mounted on trucks. These were driven near four Russian bases, and the drones were launched by remote once in position. The Russian bombers, unprotected on open tarmacs, never saw them neither, experts warn, would US planes in similar Shugart of the Center for a New American Security didn't mince words: 'There is no sanctuary even in the US homeland – particularly given that our bases back home are essentially completely unhardened.''Hardened,' in military terms, means aircraft are parked in reinforced shelters. But at most US facilities, including key sites like Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri or Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, multibillion-dollar bombers sit in the open, not far from public highways. It's a vulnerability mirrored in Russia — and just as easily exploitable.'We are pretty vulnerable,' retired US Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal told CNN. 'We've got a lot of high-value assets that are extraordinarily expensive.' The B-2 bomber, for example, costs $2 billion apiece. The US has only officials estimated the strike cost Russia $7 billion. And it cost Ukraine mere tens of thousands of isn't science fiction. A first-person view (FPV) drone, like the ones used in Ukraine's strike, can be bought online for under $700. Controlled by a headset, the operator can steer the drone with precision. These cheap tools are now deadly weapons.'Ukraine inflicted billions in damage,' Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told Congress this week. 'The world saw in near-real time how readily available technology can disrupt established power dynamics.'Ukraine has honed its drone tactics with urgency. Each week, engineers adapt to Russian countermeasures, staying a step threats are not confined to foreign battlefields. According to US Northern Command, there were 350 drone incursions into domestic military bases last year. Some were hobbyists, but others could have been surveillance missions by foreign adversaries — or worse.'Think of all the containers and illegal entrants inside our borders,' warned Carl Schuster, a former Pacific Command intelligence director. Every cargo truck could conceal a drone. Every base near a highway — and many are — becomes a potential target.'It's a logistical nightmare,' wrote David Kirichenko on the Atlantic Council's Ukraine Watch. Russia's vast geography, once a strength, is now a weakness. The same applies to the US debates budgets, China has built more than 650 hardened aircraft shelters within range of Taiwan, according to a Hudson Institute report co-authored by Shugart. The report warned that, in a US-China conflict, most American aircraft losses would occur on the ground — not in Guam's Andersen Air Force Base, home to B-2 and B-52 bombers, lacks hardened shelters.'The F-47 is an amazing aircraft, but it's going to die on the ground if we don't protect it,' Allvin said, referring to a proposed $300 million stealth jet touted by former President Donald contrast, Shugart estimates that a hardened aircraft shelter would cost about $30 Pentagon is scrambling. After a deadly drone strike killed three US soldiers in Jordan earlier this year, efforts to counter drones intensified. Strategies include jammers to sever control signals, intercepting missiles, even nets to snare drones mid-air. Still, none are foolproof.'There's no simple solution,' a US defence official told reporters. 'We're not even close.'That same official, speaking anonymously, warned that cheap drone swarms could soon trigger a 'mass-casualty event.' High-profile civilian targets like sports arenas and infrastructure remain dangerously root problem is money — and priorities.'If all we are doing is playing defence and can't shoot back, then that's not a good use of our money,' Allvin said. The Pentagon, with an annual budget nearing $1 trillion, must decide whether to fund new offensive systems or protect the ones it already are listening. On Capitol Hill, Senator Roger Wicker, head of the Armed Services Committee, promised billions in funding to address the drone gap. But officials remain sceptical that the urgency will match the rhetoric.'We are not doing enough,' Army Secretary Driscoll testified. 'The current status quo is not sufficient.'Ukraine's innovation with FPV drones shows how war is changing. Technology has levelled the field. The next war — or attack — could arrive in the back of a truck, not a fighter now, America's billion-dollar bombers remain on open runways. And the clock is ticking.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
How the US could be vulnerable to the same kind of drone swarm attack Ukraine unleashed on Russia's bomber fleet
Ukraine's shock drone strike on Russia's strategic bomber fleet this week has generals and analysts taking a new look at threats to high-value United States aircraft at bases in the homeland and abroad – and the situation is worrisome. 'It's an eyebrow-raising moment,' Gen. David Allvin, the US Air Force chief of staff, said at a defense conference in Washington on Tuesday, adding that the US is vulnerable to similar attacks. 'There is no sanctuary even in the US homeland – particularly given that our bases back home are essentially completely unhardened,' Thomas Shugart, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), told CNN. By 'unhardened,' Shugart means there aren't enough shelters in which US warplanes can be parked that are tough enough to protect them from airstrikes, be it from drones or missiles. Ukrainian military officials said 41 Russian aircraft were hit in last Sunday's attacks, including strategic bombers and surveillance planes, with some destroyed and others damaged. Later analysis shows at least 12 planes destroyed or damaged, and reviews of satellite imagery were continuing. The Ukrainian operation used drones smuggled into Russian territory, hidden in wooden mobile houses atop trucks and driven close to four Russian air bases, according to Ukrainian sources. Once near the bases, the roofs of the mobile houses were remotely opened, and the drones deployed to launch their strikes. The Russian planes were sitting uncovered on the tarmac at the bases, much as US warplanes are at facilities at home and abroad. 'We are pretty vulnerable,' retired US Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Tuesday. 'We've got a lot of high-value assets that are extraordinarily expensive,' McChrystal said. The Ukrainians said their attacks destroyed $7 billion worth of Russian aircraft. By comparison, a single US Air Force B-2 bomber costs $2 billion. And the US has only 20 of them. Shugart co-authored a report for the Hudson Institute in January highlighting the threat to US military installations from China in the event of any conflict between the superpowers. 'People's Liberation Army (PLA) strike forces of aircraft, ground-based missile launchers, surface and subsurface vessels, and special forces can attack US aircraft and their supporting systems at airfields globally, including in the continental United States,' Shugart and fellow author Timothy Walton wrote. War game simulations and analyses show 'the overwhelming majority of US aircraft losses would likely occur on the ground at airfields (and that the losses could be ruinous),' Shugart and Walton wrote. A report from Air and Space Forces magazine last year pointed out that Anderson Air Force Base on the Pacific island of Guam – perhaps the US' most important air facility in the Pacific – which has hosted rotations of those $2 billion B-2 bombers, as well as B-1 and B-52 bombers, has no hardened shelters. Allvin, the USAF chief of staff, admitted the problem on Tuesday. 'Right now, I don't think it's where we need to be,' Allvin told a conference of the CNAS. McChrystal said the US must look at how to protect its bases and the aircraft on them but also how it monitors the areas around those facilities. 'It widens the spectrum of the threats you've got to deal with,' McChrystal said. But all that costs money, and Allvin said that presents the US with a budget dilemma. Does it spend defense dollars on hardened shelters and ways to stop drones and missiles from attacking US bases, or does it use more resources on offensive weapons that take the fight to the enemy? 'If all we are doing is playing defense and can't shoot back, then that's not a good use of our money,' Allvin told the CNAS conference. 'We've always known that hardening our bases is something we needed to do,' Allvin said, but other items have been given budget priority. Hardened aircraft shelters aren't flashy and are unlikely to generate the headlines of other defense projects, including planes like the new B-21 bombers, each of which is expected to cost around $700 million. And US President Donald Trump said recently the Air Force will build a new stealth fighter, the F-47, with an initial cost of $300 million per aircraft. 'The F-47 is an amazing aircraft, but it's going to die on the ground if we don't protect it,' Allvin said. Meanwhile, a hardened shelter costs around $30 million, according to Shugart and Walton. Last month Trump revealed another form of air defense for the US mainland, the Golden Dome missile shield, expected to cost at least $175 billion. Despite the huge price tag, it's designed to counter long-range threats, like intercontinental ballistic missiles fired from a different hemisphere. In Russia's case, the vastness of its territory was seen as a strength in its war with Ukraine. One of the air bases hit in Ukraine's Operation 'Spiderweb' was closer to Tokyo than Kyiv. But now Russia's size is a weakness, writes David Kirichenko on the Ukraine Watch blog of the Atlantic Council. Every border crossing may be an infiltration point; every cargo container on every highway or rail line must be treated with suspicion. 'This is a logistical nightmare,' Kirichenko said. And there is a direct analogy to the United States. US Air Force bomber bases are usually well inland, but accessible to vehicles large and small. For instance, all 20 B-2 bombers are stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. It's about 600 miles from the nearest coastline, the Gulf of Mexico, but only about 25 miles south of Interstate 70, one of the main east-west traffic arteries in the US, with thousands of commercial vehicles passing by daily. Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, one of the homes of US B-1 bombers, sits just south of another major east-west commercial artery, Interstate 20. 'Think of all the containers and illegal entrants inside our borders,' said Carl Schuster, a former director of operations at the US Pacific Command's Joint Intelligence Center. 'That connection will trigger alarm in some US circles,' he said. Meanwhile, in the Pacific, even better US offensive firepower, like Gen. Allvin would like to have, might not be enough in the event of a conflict with China. That's because the PLA has made a concerted effort to protect its aircraft during its massive military buildup under leader Xi Jinping, according to the Hudson Institute report. China has more than 650 hardened aircraft shelters at airfields within 1,150 miles of the Taiwan Strait, the report says. But Shugart and Walton argue the best move Washington could make would be to make Beijing build more – by improving US strike capabilities in Asia. 'In response the… PLA would likely continue to spend funds on additional costly passive and active defense measures and in turn would have less to devote to alternative investments, including strike and other power projection capabilities,' they said.
Miami Herald
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
‘Russia's Pearl Harbor' Fuels Fears Over Chinese Cargo Ships at US Ports
Sunday's Ukrainian drone ambush on a Russian airbase more than 3,000 miles from the front lines has intensified a growing debate among U.S. military analysts over the plausibility of a similar attack launched from Chinese merchant vessels docked at American ports. The scenario has drawn scrutiny from lawmakers and security analysts alike following confirmation that COSCO Shipping-China's state-owned shipping giant-operates across key U.S. ports, despite being designated by the Department of Defense as a Chinese military company. At issue is whether drones or cruise missiles could be hidden in shipping containers aboard these vessels, activated remotely or after offloading, and used in a preemptive strike. "This is a very plausible form of attack in the U.S.," said Bryan Clark, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a former U.S. Navy officer. "But the attack would need to overcome several challenges," he told Newsweek. "The drones need to get out of the container, and that's hard to control aboard a ship. A more feasible approach would be to deploy the drones from a container once it's offloaded and moved on a truck." Retired Navy commander Thomas Shugart, now a fellow at the Center for a New American Security, has voiced a more urgent warning. "It is becoming borderline-insane that we routinely allow ships owned and operated by DoD-designated Chinese military companies to sit in our ports with thousands of containers onboard and under their control," Shugart said in a conversation with Newsweek. Shugart said the concept isn't speculative-it mirrors Chinese military writings. "Their Science of Campaigns is full of references to 'sudden' and 'surprise' strikes," he said, referring to a core text that Chinese military officers are expected to study. "They explicitly discuss hitting first, especially against what they call the 'powerful entity,' which is clearly a reference to the United States." The concerns are not just theoretical. In January, members of the House Committee on Homeland Security asked the U.S. Coast Guard for a classified briefing, citing COSCO's access to "major U.S. ports" and warning of risks including "espionage, cyber intrusions, sabotage, and supply chain disruptions," according to a letter sent in January. Zak Kallenborn, a researcher of drone and asymmetric warfare, acknowledged the technical possibility but questioned the timing. "A similar Chinese drone attack is definitely plausible and worth worrying about," he told Newsweek. "However, a Chinese attack is unlikely to come completely out of the blue. If China were to do this, we'd likely already be at war." Still, the lessons from Ukraine's recent drone strike on Russian airfields linger heavily in the minds of U.S. analysts and war planners grappling with the warp-speed progress of battlefield technological advancements like drone warfare. The operation on Sunday exposed how even hardened military targets can be neutralized by low-cost drones-deep inside a nuclear-armed adversary's territory where an enemy's conventional air power would be difficult to penetrate. For some of these experts, it raised uncomfortable parallels to U.S. vulnerabilities. Shugart said the U.S. shouldn't assume distance offers safety. "We've hardened some overseas air bases," he said. "But we still park billion-dollar aircraft in the open on our own soil. That's a risk." According to a March report from the Atlantic Council, China has developed and demonstrated containerized missile and drone platforms that can be covertly transported aboard commercial vessels. The report warned these systems could enable Beijing to establish "a covert way to establish anti-access/area denial nodes near major maritime choke points." Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb demonstrated how swarms of inexpensive, off-the-shelf drones-slightly modified to carry explosives and smuggled in wooden containers to be deployed remotely-can inflict billions of dollars in damage on strategic military assets, including long-range bombers. The contrast has fueled criticism of more traditional defense approaches, such as President Donald Trump's proposed "Golden Dome" missile shield, which analysts say may be poorly matched to emerging low-cost threats. The regulatory environment surrounding drones is also a major factor in the growing risk, experts say. "We don't have a drone transportation and logistics system," military theorist John Robb wrote on X. "The FAA strangled it in the crib a decade ago. If the FCC had regulated the internet the way we've handled drones, we'd still be using AOL." Robb advocates for a national drone framework with built-in security measures: "Monitoring, kill switches, no-fly zones, hardware and software rules, maintenance requirements, and corporate certification." In Congress, lawmakers continue to press the Coast Guard to ensure more stringent vetting of foreign vessels, crew members and cargo. "The vetting process must be consistent and comprehensive across all U.S. ports," the Homeland Security Committee wrote in its January request. The committee also raised concerns about Chinese political officers allegedly embedded aboard COSCO vessels, which it argued underscores direct Chinese Communist Party influence over ostensibly commercial operations. For analysts like Clark, the technology is only part of the equation. The more pressing concern is readiness. "If China believes it can use relatively small drones to cause major damage, and we've done nothing to detect or deter it, that's a vulnerability we can't afford to ignore," he said. Related Articles Putin Ally Says Ukraine Operation 'Grounds for Nuclear Attack'Are the Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks Going Anywhere? | OpinionSteve Bannon Says Lindsey Graham Should Be Arrested Over Ukraine SupportWhat 'Russia's Pearl Harbor' Says About Trump's Golden Dome 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Newsweek
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
'Russia's Pearl Harbor' Fuels Fears Over Chinese Cargo Ships at US Ports
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Sunday's Ukrainian drone ambush on a Russian airbase more than 3,000 miles from the front lines has intensified a growing debate among U.S. military analysts over the plausibility of a similar attack launched from Chinese merchant vessels docked at American ports. The scenario has drawn scrutiny from lawmakers and security analysts alike following confirmation that COSCO Shipping—China's state-owned shipping giant—operates across key U.S. ports, despite being designated by the Department of Defense as a Chinese military company. At issue is whether drones or cruise missiles could be hidden in shipping containers aboard these vessels, activated remotely or after offloading, and used in a preemptive strike. "This is a very plausible form of attack in the U.S.," said Bryan Clark, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a former U.S. Navy officer. "But the attack would need to overcome several challenges," he told Newsweek. "The drones need to get out of the container, and that's hard to control aboard a ship. A more feasible approach would be to deploy the drones from a container once it's offloaded and moved on a truck." In this image taken from video released June 1, 2025, by a source in the Ukrainian Security Service shows a Ukrainian drone striking Russian planes deep in Russia's territory. In this image taken from video released June 1, 2025, by a source in the Ukrainian Security Service shows a Ukrainian drone striking Russian planes deep in Russia's territory. AP Retired Navy commander Thomas Shugart, now a fellow at the Center for a New American Security, has voiced a more urgent warning. "It is becoming borderline-insane that we routinely allow ships owned and operated by DoD-designated Chinese military companies to sit in our ports with thousands of containers onboard and under their control," Shugart said in a conversation with Newsweek. Shugart said the concept isn't speculative—it mirrors Chinese military writings. "Their Science of Campaigns is full of references to 'sudden' and 'surprise' strikes," he said, referring to a core text that Chinese military officers are expected to study. "They explicitly discuss hitting first, especially against what they call the 'powerful entity,' which is clearly a reference to the United States." The concerns are not just theoretical. In January, members of the House Committee on Homeland Security asked the U.S. Coast Guard for a classified briefing, citing COSCO's access to "major U.S. ports" and warning of risks including "espionage, cyber intrusions, sabotage, and supply chain disruptions," according to a letter sent in January. Vulnerabilities Can Be Exploited Zak Kallenborn, a researcher of drone and asymmetric warfare, acknowledged the technical possibility but questioned the timing. "A similar Chinese drone attack is definitely plausible and worth worrying about," he told Newsweek. "However, a Chinese attack is unlikely to come completely out of the blue. If China were to do this, we'd likely already be at war." Shipping containers, including those from COSCO, a Chinese state-owned shipping and logistics company await transportation on a rail line at the Port of Long Beach on July 12, 2018 in Long Beach, California. Shipping containers, including those from COSCO, a Chinese state-owned shipping and logistics company await transportation on a rail line at the Port of Long Beach on July 12, 2018 in Long Beach, California. FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images Still, the lessons from Ukraine's recent drone strike on Russian airfields linger heavily in the minds of U.S. analysts and war planners grappling with the warp-speed progress of battlefield technological advancements like drone warfare. The operation on Sunday exposed how even hardened military targets can be neutralized by low-cost drones—deep inside a nuclear-armed adversary's territory where an enemy's conventional air power would be difficult to penetrate. For some of these experts, it raised uncomfortable parallels to U.S. vulnerabilities. Shugart said the U.S. shouldn't assume distance offers safety. "We've hardened some overseas air bases," he said. "But we still park billion-dollar aircraft in the open on our own soil. That's a risk." According to a March report from the Atlantic Council, China has developed and demonstrated containerized missile and drone platforms that can be covertly transported aboard commercial vessels. The report warned these systems could enable Beijing to establish "a covert way to establish anti-access/area denial nodes near major maritime choke points." A Regulatory Blindspot Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb demonstrated how swarms of inexpensive, off-the-shelf drones—slightly modified to carry explosives and smuggled in wooden containers to be deployed remotely—can inflict billions of dollars in damage on strategic military assets, including long-range bombers. The contrast has fueled criticism of more traditional defense approaches, such as President Donald Trump's proposed "Golden Dome" missile shield, which analysts say may be poorly matched to emerging low-cost threats. What if I told you that as I type this there was a vessel, associated with the Chinese PLA, that *could* be equipped with many dozens of anti-ship cruise missiles—and was parked less than 4 miles from the bulk of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Well guess what: it's happening—for real. — Tom Shugart (@tshugart3) August 22, 2024 The regulatory environment surrounding drones is also a major factor in the growing risk, experts say. "We don't have a drone transportation and logistics system," military theorist John Robb wrote on X. "The FAA strangled it in the crib a decade ago. If the FCC had regulated the internet the way we've handled drones, we'd still be using AOL." Robb advocates for a national drone framework with built-in security measures: "Monitoring, kill switches, no-fly zones, hardware and software rules, maintenance requirements, and corporate certification." In Congress, lawmakers continue to press the Coast Guard to ensure more stringent vetting of foreign vessels, crew members and cargo. "The vetting process must be consistent and comprehensive across all U.S. ports," the Homeland Security Committee wrote in its January request. The committee also raised concerns about Chinese political officers allegedly embedded aboard COSCO vessels, which it argued underscores direct Chinese Communist Party influence over ostensibly commercial operations. For analysts like Clark, the technology is only part of the equation. The more pressing concern is readiness. "If China believes it can use relatively small drones to cause major damage, and we've done nothing to detect or deter it, that's a vulnerability we can't afford to ignore," he said.
Hamilton Spectator
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Contreras homer sparks Cardinals over Pirates 6-3
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Willson Contreras hit a go-ahead home run in a four-run sixth inning and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-3 on Monday night for their third straight victory. Contreras' fifth home run came off Pirates reliever Chase Shugart, who walked Nolan Arenado after coming in with the bases empty, one out and a 3-2 lead. Jose Barrero, who hit his first homer as a Cardinal earlier, added a bases-loaded ground-rule double off Shugart for a 6-3 lead. Oneil Cruz beat out a high hopper to Cardinals starter Miles Mikola leading off the first and Bryan Reynolds followed with his fifth home run for a 2-0 lead. Barrero led off the third with a solo shot off Pirates starter Carmen Mlodzinski, and Alec Burleson followed with his second homer in as many games to tie it 2-all. Burleson's homer went 435 feet — the longest by a Cardinal this season. Joey Bart drew a leadoff walk in the fourth and scored on a hit by Adam Frazier to put the Pirates ahead. Mikolas allowed three runs on four hits in five innings. Gordon Graceffo (2-0) pitched the sixth for the win. Ryan Helsley notched his sixth save. Mlodzinski allowed four hits and two runs in 4 2/3 innings. Shugart (1-2) gave up four runs on five hits and didn't record an out. The Cardinals (17-19) swept a doubleheader with the Mets on Sunday after winning two against the Reds on Wednesday. The Pirates (12-24) have lost five in a row and 8 of 9. Key moment Helsey struck out Reynolds looking with runners on second and third to end it. Key stat Cruz was hit by a pitch leading off the third before being thrown out by Pedro Pagés trying to steal, ending a run of 35 successful attempts including 15 this season. Up next RHP Paul Skenes (3-3, 2.74) starts Tuesday for the Pirates against Cardinals LHP Matthew Liberatore (2-3, 3.44). ___ AP MLB:
