Former Army Secretary Driscoll Highlights Ukraine’s Military Innovation in Kyiv After Resignation
Former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll praises Ukraine's warfare innovation in Kyiv, highlighting the need for global military modernization.
POLICY WIRE — Kyiv, Ukraine — Former U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll made his first public appearance since leaving the Trump administration, emphasizing the transformative shift in modern warfare and praising Ukraine’s rapid technological advancements.
Driscoll, wearing a tie with a traditional Ukrainian motif, participated in a discussion at the Yalta European Strategy forum alongside Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO and head of Perennial Autonomy, a U.S. defense company active in Ukraine. The event, moderated by CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, focused on the evolving role of Ukraine in Western security strategies.
He highlighted the Ukrainian “DELTA” platform, which integrates battlefield data from multiple sources, calling it more advanced than any U.S. military system. Driscoll also commended Ukraine’s growing AI capabilities, suggesting they could give the country a strategic edge over Russia. However, he noted that the U.S. has not fully embraced the speed and adaptability seen in Ukraine’s wartime operations.
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During his tenure as Army secretary, Driscoll advocated for adopting lessons from the conflict in Ukraine, leading to reforms aimed at accelerating weapon procurement. His efforts were bolstered when Schmidt’s firm supplied thousands of drones to counter Iranian threats, despite criticism of the U.S. defense industry’s slow response.
Driscoll acknowledged the U.S. relationship with Ukraine remains strong but admitted it has not met Kyiv’s expectations. He emphasized the need for the U.S. to internalize the lessons from Ukraine’s agile, fast-paced approach to warfare. Despite this, he chose to leave government, believing his impact would be greater outside of it.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
