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Pentagon Sends Personnel to Ukraine to Study Drone Warfare, Hegseth Says
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US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon has sent military personnel to Ukraine to study the use of drones in real combat conditions, as Washington seeks to integrate lessons from the war into its own military strategy.
Speaking during a Senate committee hearing, Hegseth confirmed that Pentagon officials have traveled to Ukraine to observe battlefield drone operations and counter-drone tactics firsthand, according to the Associated Press on May 12.
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The issue was raised by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who described Ukraine as the “Silicon Valley of warfare” and asked whether Hegseth supported sending Pentagon representatives there to gain operational experience.
Hegseth confirmed the initiative and said he had personally approved the deployment of additional personnel.
According to the defense secretary, the purpose of the missions is to study drone technologies directly on the battlefield.
“I’ve personally approved additional personel there to learn from that drone battlefield to ensure that we are learning every possible lesson from that conflict and incorporating it in real time into how we defend and we go on defense in an era where drone dominance is required,” Hegseth said.
The growing military cooperation comes amid broader efforts by Washington and Kyiv to deepen collaboration in defense technology production.
According to CBS News, the United States and Ukraine have prepared a draft memorandum outlining a future defense agreement that would enable Ukraine to export its combat-tested military technologies to American defense manufacturers.
The memorandum, negotiated between the US State Department and Ukrainian Ambassador Olha Stefanishyna, is seen as an initial step toward establishing joint drone production initiatives between the two countries.
The proposed partnership would combine Ukraine’s battlefield-developed technologies with US industrial and financial capabilities, significantly expanding defense manufacturing potential for both sides.
CBS News reported that cooperation accelerated after Ukraine deployed drone interceptor technologies in the Middle East, where they assisted US partners in countering Iranian-designed Shahed drones.
Additionally, in April the Pentagon released $400 million in military funding for Ukraine that had previously been approved by Congress, after senior Republican lawmakers criticized delays in transferring the assistance, Bloomberg reported on April 29.
Speaking during a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the funds had been designated for “European capacity building” and confirmed that the financing was formally released the previous day. He did not disclose additional details regarding the allocation.
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