Former US Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll has called for the defense system of Western countries to be restructured “from scratch“ to meet the changing nature of modern conflicts. He outlined his position in an article for “Foreign Affairs“ magazine.
“The entire Western defense ecosystem must be reformed from scratch“, Driscoll writes. According to him, the United States and its allies rely excessively on complex and expensive weapons, while Russia and China have a large industrial potential to rapidly increase production.
Expensive systems must be supplemented by mass
Driscoll believes that Western defense companies produce small batches of equipment with high prices and closed software. This makes it difficult to exchange data between weapons of different countries and manufacturers. According to him, the US army in 2025 looked “shockingly similar“ to the army of 1975, and the US defense industry has become an oligopoly.
The former minister does not propose to abandon expensive platforms. Aircraft, nuclear submarines and fifth-generation fighters will remain necessary, but their production takes a long time, and their losses are difficult to recover. Therefore, he believes, they should be combined with mass production of cheaper drones, interceptors and ammunition.
Common industrial base and open software
His proposal includes changes at three levels: the production infrastructure and access to raw materials, digital systems and the way new developments reach the troops. Driscoll calls on the US and its allies to build a common industrial base and introduce common technical standards.
He also insists on an open digital architecture that would allow equipment from different countries to exchange data without new and expensive integration. According to him, interoperability is now "the foundation of modern military strategy," and artificial intelligence should help manage unified systems, as the volume and speed of information on the battlefield exceed human capabilities.
Driscoll suggests that private developers should test their products directly with the military, and that civilian companies should be able to quickly switch to defense production if necessary. He believes that common markets and standards will allow production to be shared among allies.
Driscoll left office in September
Daniel Driscoll was confirmed by the Senate and took office as US Army Secretary on February 25, 2025. He resigned in late August 2026 after months of tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and left office in early September.
The Associated Press reported that Driscoll did not publicly give a reason for his resignation. The White House described him as an effective leader who contributed to increasing the readiness and combat capability of the army.
Sources: RBC, Foreign Affairs