NATO rethinks procurement as battlefield tech evolves every six weeks

RIGA · New military technology deployed in Ukraine is countered by opposing forces within an average of six weeks. This relentless innovation cycle, centred on drones and robotics, is compelling NATO and its members to overhaul their equipment acquisition strategies. The alliance is also grappling with whether international law can match the speed of modern warfare. The Canadian Press observed this dynamic during a recent exercise in Latvia, where Canada commands a NATO multinational brigade.

During the Baltic Trust exercise on Aug. 13 near Selija, Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs and Defence Minister Raivis Melnis joined officials from 27 NATO nations. They watched as a target drone was pursued and destroyed by a second, faster aircraft. The interceptor drone, an NS3 model made by DK Unity, can reach speeds of 350 kilometres per hour and destroyed its target with an explosive charge. The successful demonstration drew applause from the assembled dignitaries.

DK Unity was one of dozens of manufacturers at the event, which attracted 375 industry representatives hoping to sell technology to NATO militaries. The company's business development manager, Aleksandrs Stupans, said its products are refined through constant feedback from Ukrainian soldiers. "We have all this technology developed with weekly reference from the battlefield because we have our partner company in Kyiv, in Ukraine, and they are working with more than 100 different battle units," he said. Some of the company's drones are already in use in Ukraine.

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The six-week countermeasure timeline was noted in a recent French parliamentary committee analysis. Janis Kazocins, an expert at the Riga Centre for Geopolitical Studies, said quick adaptation provides a battlefield advantage. He described the essential collaboration between soldiers, scientists and private companies needed to develop new countermeasures. Kazocins cited an instance where Ukrainian forces used sound detection and machine guns to shoot down Russian drones, only to have the Russians simply fly them 400 metres higher, out of range.

The core challenge, Kazocins explained, is that software and communications systems evolve far faster than hardware. A tactic that works today may be obsolete in six to eight weeks. He cautioned NATO nations against stockpiling currently effective drones in preparation for a potential conflict. "The most dangerous thing to do is to imagine that we now know how drones or robotics work," he said. "We need to buy a service, something which is developing all the time, to which we need to contribute our technology as well."

Canadian Col. David Brassard, commander of the NATO brigade in Latvia, said his unit is modernizing procurement to be more agile. He noted that innovation now increasingly originates from soldiers on the front lines, not just factories. Ukrainian troops, for example, use programming and 3D printers to modify drones directly in the field. Brassard acknowledged that NATO forces in Latvia have not yet matched Ukrainian adaptability but expressed confidence they would reach that level.

Kazocins argues the term "robots" is more accurate than "drones," as unmanned systems now operate on land and sea, not just in the air. He pointed to Ukrainian use of autonomous maritime platforms like the Magura MV1, which can operate for a week at sea. "The Ukrainians are now using seaborne autonomous platforms, to bring in drones which fly off from these platforms and attack in Black Sea in the Crimean and the Russian coast," Kazocins said. He compared the current shift to the move from cavalry to tanks between the world wars.

Artificial intelligence is enabling coordinated drone swarms, where multiple robots work together on a common goal. Kazocins said such tactics are already employed in Ukraine, with drones serving as decoys, conducting surveillance or executing attacks. These operations depend on "very sophisticated software" and "very sophisticated communications technology," he said. In April, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces captured an enemy position using only unmanned ground vehicles and explosive drones, a first in the war that resulted in no Ukrainian casualties.

The rise of autonomous weapons has prompted concern from global bodies. On Aug. 25, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Red Cross President Mirjana Spoljaric jointly urged nations to establish rules to prevent technology from outpacing humanitarian law. They warned that machines autonomously targeting humans risks crossing a moral line. Their appeal preceded ongoing discussions in Geneva, where 65 countries in the Conference on Disarmament have spent three years examining how to regulate lethal autonomous weapons systems. A report on the issue is expected at an upcoming review conference.

With files from The Canadian Press, CityNews and Toronto Star