Tanks vs. Drones
Show notes
Is the tank obsolete? As drones and precision strikes transform modern battlefields, some have predicted that armored vehicles may soon meet the fate of the cavalry charge. Today on School of War, Colonel Jose A. Reyes and Lieutenant Colonel David “Cam” Smith of the 1st Cavalry Division make the opposite case. Drawing on their experience operating and commanding tanks, they join Aaron MacLean to explain how armored vehicles are adapting to an increasingly drone-centric battlefield—and why the future of warfare may still belong to the cavalry.
3:18 — Reyes and Smith’s Backgrounds
8:40 — The History of Tanks and Maneuver
11:15 — Is the Tank Obsolete?
12:43 — “The Tank Is Alive and Well”
15:17 — Combined Arms at Every Echelon
20:12 — Transforming Armored Warfare
27:02 — The Battlefield Data Problem
30:01 — Ukrainian Innovation and Battlefield Data
33:25 — Electronic Warfare and FPV Drones
38:13 — Cheap Drones and the Cost of Defense
42:44 — Armor and the Problem of Attrition
43:49 — The Future of Unmanned Armor
46:51 — Unmanned Resupply and Medevac
48:25 — Casualty Evacuation in Ukraine
52:16 — What the Army Needs Next
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