Reference News Network, October 20 report - According to the Spanish website "El Confidencial," on October 18, according to reports from the U.S. "The Drive" channel, U.S. Army Major General Charles Costanza, commander of the Fifth Army, admitted that the U.S. armed forces are at a disadvantage in the use of military drones and the development of anti-drone technology. At the annual meeting of the U.S. Army Association, Costanza admitted that compared to countries such as Russia, the U.S. is "behind" in modernizing drone capabilities.

Costanza candidly stated in his speech that the U.S. Army has been discussing how to introduce unmanned systems for more than a decade but has not achieved substantial results. He said, "We are behind, and we know it." He also mentioned that recent conflicts, such as the 2020 war between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the war in Ukraine, have demonstrated the decisive role of drones on the modern battlefield. Costanza said that both Ukraine and Russia have completed rapid and creative innovations in the use of drones.

Costanza also admitted that operational actions on the front lines in Eastern Europe highlight the need for the army to advance more agilely. He warned that "our movements are not fast enough," and emphasized that the technological evolution on the current battlefield requires an immediate and coordinated response from the U.S. military.

To reverse this situation, Costanza cited the "Venus Flytrap" program as a case study. The program aims to improve the anti-drone combat capabilities of European countries, seeking to integrate sensors, radar, electronic warfare systems, and artificial intelligence into a unified network capable of detecting, identifying, and eliminating aerial threats. "The 'Venus Flytrap' program is the starting point," he explained, "because it allows us to determine which systems are effective and how to combine them before making large-scale procurement."

The "Venus Flytrap" program is part of the NATO-led "Eastern Flank Deterrence Line" strategy, aimed at strengthening European defense against the increasing threat of Russian drone incursions. Costanza warned that "as long as there is no clear and coordinated response," Russia "will continue to strengthen its offensive." Therefore, the general insisted that the U.S. Army's technological modernization work urgently needs to be accelerated. He concluded, "We must move faster. That is well known." (Translated by Su Jiawei)

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