US Army's autonomous warfare overhaul: General Mick Ryan warns India and Australia to prepare

The US Army now has a new autonomous warfare command. It's called the Futures and Autonomous Systems Command (FASCOM). It marks a major push towards robotic warfare, but retired Australian Army Major General Mick Ryan believes the transformation also exposes serious shortcomings in America's preparedness against drone attacks.

The US Army's newly announced FASCOM aims to accelerate autonomous warfare capabilities, bringing together technological development, experimentation, training and procurement.

Iran War Exposes US Military's Drone Defence Failures

Speaking exclusively on WION's Defence Pulse, I asked General Ryanwhether FASCOM represented an acknowledgment of American military shortcomings during the Iran conflict, he said it was partly a response to the failure to counter Iranian Shahed drones.

"They were caught short with drone defences," he said, adding that the threat was "entirely predictable." He was particularly critical of Western militaries for failing to absorb lessons from Ukraine. "I think this was a gross failure of humility in the U.S. as well as Western military organisations," he said.

Gen. Ryan argued that military transformation must extend beyond acquiring autonomous weapons to changing battlefield tactics, training and institutional structures.

What India and Australia Must Learn

With China rapidly developing autonomous military capabilities, Gen. Ryan suggested India and Australia should closely examine America's new command structure.

"I think countries like Australia and India will hopefully have liaison officers embedded in the U.S. Army," he said. He also recommended that both countries establish similar commands to accelerate drone warfare capabilities across their armed forces. Such structures, Ryan argued, could help military organisations adapt more rapidly to emerging technologies and battlefield requirements.

Tanks, Drones and the Future Battlefield

Gen.Ryan also warned that traditional armoured warfare faces unprecedented challenges from persistent drone surveillance. Drawing on Ukraine's experience, he explained that forces may need prolonged suppression of enemy drones before deploying armoured vehicles, even in small numbers.

Modern tanks and armoured vehicles, he noted, produce substantial physical, thermal and electromagnetic signatures, making concealment increasingly difficult.

On counter-drone warfare, he rejected the idea of a single technological solution, advocating layered defences combining sensors, electronic warfare, interceptor drones and conventional weapons.

His assessment carries particular importance for India as it expands indigenous drone development and evaluates how autonomous systems should be integrated into military formations.