The future of armed forces isn't a total replacement of traditional assets with drones. Instead, the dominant model will be a "hybrid force" that integrates expensive, crewed platforms like stealth jets and aircraft carriers with complementary unmanned systems like "loyal wingmen" drones and autonomous ships for scouting and high-risk missions.

Wargaming suggests that instead of flying alongside manned aircraft, unmanned systems are most effective when decoupled. Their best roles are as long-endurance decoys to confuse incoming missiles or as autonomous swarms in a designated kill zone.

The concept of 'man-unmanned teaming' is operationally flawed. Autonomous systems have different speeds, ranges, and signatures than manned platforms. Operating them together makes the robots a liability that humans must slow down for and protect, defeating their purpose. They must operate separately.

The ethical stance of requiring a human in the loop for autonomous weapons faces a serious strategic problem. A weapon system with a human decision-maker will likely lose to a fully autonomous one, forcing a choice between ethics and military effectiveness.

Anduril's autonomous Fury fighter jet flies alongside manned aircraft as a force multiplier. It extends the pilot's sensor and weapons range while taking on high-risk maneuvers. This allows for strategies that involve sacrificing autonomous assets to gain an advantage, without the ethical problem of losing human lives.

Defense tech firm Smack Technologies clarifies the objective is not to remove humans entirely. Instead, AI should handle low-value tasks to free up personnel for critical, high-value decisions. This framework, 'intelligent autonomy,' orchestrates manned and unmanned systems while keeping humans in the loop.

Recent wargames show that pairing manned and unmanned systems is often counterproductive. The need to protect the supposedly "expendable" robot compromises the mission, as it can't be put at risk if it endangers the human crew nearby, negating its core value.

The focus on drone technology overshadows its real impact: a fundamental shift in military doctrine. True innovation isn't adding drones to existing units, but replacing entire battalions (e.g., armor) with new drone-centric formations, completely altering force structures and tactics.

Creating a separate command for drones and autonomy could segregate these capabilities, much like CyberCom. Instead of being integrated into combined arms at the lowest level, they become a resource that operational commanders must request through layers of bureaucracy, hindering agility.