Drone Warfare: The New Rules of Combat Are Here

Synopsis

War has always been shaped by technology—from steel and gunpowder to GPS and nuclear weapons. But the decisive technologies of tomorrow aren’t coming—they’re already here.

In this episode, recorded live at our third annual American Dynamism Summit, a16z’s Senior National Security Advisor Matt Cronin sits down with Ryan Tseng (cofounder & CEO, Shield AI) and Adam Bry (cofounder & CEO, Skydio) to discuss the rise of autonomous drones, AI-driven warfare, and the escalating great power competition with China. They cover:

Why drones are reshaping the battlefield in Ukraine, Israel, and beyond The asymmetry of $1,000 drones taking out $10M tanks

Why U.S. drone production lags China—and how to catch up

The ethical and tactical implications of autonomy in combat

What it will take to reindustrialize America and maintain deterrence

If the future of warfare is software-defined, who writes that software—and who deploys it first—matters more than ever.