a day ago
- Drones have made the earth's surface a contested space, exposing vulnerabilities in traditional air defense and missile systems against massive drone swarms.
- High-value civilian and military infrastructure on the surface—such as oil tankers, data centers, and command posts—are now at risk from low-cost drone attacks.
- The U.S. is investing billions in counter-UAS systems but not in rapidly deploying underground shelters or tunnels for protection.
- Underground facilities offer overhead cover, reduce signatures, and enable survivability under constant drone observation, as seen in Gaza, Ukraine, and Iran.
- Current U.S. doctrine underestimates the need for hardened shelters; dispersal and air superiority are insufficient against persistent drone threats.
- Rapidly bored shallow tunnels using modular segments or autonomous boring machines could fill the gap between nets and Cold War bunkers.
- There is no coherent, whole-of-nation protection strategy for drones; piecemeal solutions dominate, and services must update their doctrines.
- Protection and survivability should be integral to weapons system requirements, deployed concurrently, and applied to critical civilian infrastructure.