Former US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll described it as “humiliating“ to watch how Ukraine, despite its significantly smaller budget, is changing its armed forces faster than the United States and implementing more modern weapons. He made the statement in an interview with “Rolling Stone“ magazine, quoted by RBC.
“In a way, it was humiliating to see how quickly a country can change when it needs to“, said Driscoll. He said the difference in the budgets of the two countries makes Ukraine's progress even more impressive.
Drones are at the center of change
According to Driscoll, the US military can learn the most important lessons from the development of Ukrainian unmanned technologies. In May 2025, he created an experimental battalion of 600 soldiers based in Italy. The unit had drone laboratories, tested electronic warfare tactics and worked with Ukrainian advisers.
The former minister said that US soldiers in some cases go back “20 or 30 years“ in terms of technology. He linked the problem to the way military supplies are planned and financed.
Driscoll cited the “Humvee“ as an example. According to him, the army needed about 50,000 vehicles, but received more than twice as many, as Congress continued to fund production above the declared needs. As a result, some of the equipment became obsolete or lost its practical value even before it was put into service.
Platform for countering drones
During his term, Driscoll supported the creation of a common platform for purchasing means against unmanned aerial vehicles. It includes sensors, jamming systems and interceptors.
He planned for this model to be expanded to other types of weapons and to be available to US allies. In June, Driscoll also announced plans for two training grounds that would reproduce the conditions of combat operations in Ukraine. They were supposed to test drones, countermeasure systems and electronic warfare equipment.
Driscoll resigned in August after months of tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The reasons for the departure were not officially announced, but the relationship between the two was widely discussed in the American media.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell rejected criticism of Hegseth's leadership and said that the minister had been working on the modernization of all branches of the armed forces since his first day. Driscoll, for his part, said that the two probably agreed on more than half of the issues, but in public their differences were mainly visible.
Sources: RBC, Rolling Stone