"We Have to Beg Ukraine" — U.S. Diplomat on Weapons America Can't Build

Richard Haass is one of the most prominent U.S. foreign policy experts in recent decades, having served as chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations (publisher of Foreign Affairs magazine) for 20 years. In an appearance on the "Alternate Shots" podcast, Haass stated that Washington has essentially put itself in a position of technological lag. While Ukraine produces millions of drones annually, the United States struggles to produce just thousands — all while the Trump administration ignored Ukraine's aid proposals for months.

The disparity Haass highlighted is backed by data: Kyiv plans to manufacture over 7 million drones by 2026, with President Zelenskyy setting a target of 10 million, potentially doubling that figure; meanwhile, according to Bloomberg, the U.S. produces only about 100,000 military drones per year. The discussion was sparked by a report from The Wall Street Journal, which revealed that Ukrainian drone operators defeated U.S. military personnel during a command and staff exercise held in Germany. Haass described the current state of the U.S. defense arsenal as a scandal, emphasizing that both political parties, every administration, Congress, and defense contractors share responsibility.

According to him, a new revolution is unfolding in the military domain, and the United States is now playing catch-up: even for critical systems like the Patriot air defense batteries, the U.S. lacks sufficient physical stockpiles and cannot rapidly scale up production.

Haass proposed a radical solution — licensing parts of the U.S. defense industry to Ukraine through franchising arrangements, noting that Saudi Arabia has already struck a deal with Kyiv, and more countries will follow. He insists that producing low-cost, large-scale drone systems should be the Pentagon’s first, second, and third priority — yet he sees no sense of urgency in Washington.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1873852418080776/

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