The U.S. is Blowing Billions on the Wrong Weapons
The article argues that the U.S. military is failing to adapt to modern warfare by continuing to invest heavily in traditional platforms like tanks and aircraft. It suggests that the rise of cheap, mass-produced drones has fundamentally shifted the battlefield, rendering expensive legacy weapons vulnerable.
Why it matters
It addresses critical debates regarding national defense spending, military strategy, and the technological evolution of global conflict.
The future of warfare is drones, clearly.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Dmytro Falkovskyi / Getty; Flavio Coelho / Getty; IkonStudio / Getty; Kevin Carter / Getty. July 18, 2026, 8 AM ET Share Save In the interwar period, some military officers did not believe the combustion-engine vehicle would replace the horse for combat operations. Cavalry officers from around the world, including the United States and United Kingdom, argued strongly against trading their lovely mounts for new tanks. Many insisted that heavy armored vehicles could never conquer the hilly terrains in which horses thrived.
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