We Are in a New Era of Warfare

This episode explores how the emergence of drone warfare and innovation under fire is transforming power and forcing nations to rethink strategy and military capacity.

Host:

Gabrielle Sierra, Director of Podcasting, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)

Guests:

Michael C. Horowitz, Senior Fellow for Technology and Innovation, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)

Erin D. Dumbacher, Stanton Nuclear Security Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)

We discuss:

How Ukraine is redefining modern warfare with cheap, scalable drone technology that can take down multimillion-dollar weapons.

As Michael Horowitz puts it: “We’ve entered the era of precise mass in war.”

How Ukraine became a real-world testing ground for autonomous weapons and AI-driven combat systems.

Why small countries can now challenge military superpowers using precision strike at scale.

How 70% of battlefield casualties in Ukraine are now linked to drone warfare, not traditional weapons.