Fresh off a 10-day congressional delegation trip to five European countries, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi thinks the U.S. should be taking notes from Ukraine when it comes to their battlefield tactics, including how the widespread usage of drones is changing warfare.
Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., traveled to Europe on Aug. 10 for an official trip focused on national security, intelligence, transatlantic cooperation and shared security challenges — with stops in Italy, Ukraine, Finland, Sweden and Norway.
In Kyiv, Krishnamoorthi met with embassy officials to discuss the battlefield situation as Ukraine enters year five of Russian attacks. The congressman also visited a Ukrainian drone-defense production site — a stop that inspired him to introduce the LESSONS from Ukraine Act, which would require the Pentagon to study how Ukraine has adapted to the use of drones, including the use of unmanned systems for combat, intelligence and logistics. Krishnamoorthi wants the Pentagon to also assess how drones are changing the survivability of armored vehicles and battlefield medicine, and develop a plan for incorporating lessons into U.S military training.
“We have got to increase our use of drones for reconnaissance, but also for attack purposes,” Krishnamoorthi told the Sun-Times. “… And also, think about how drones are going to render less important the use of tanks, armored vehicles, and stationary attack systems now compared to before. … We have to learn from the Ukrainians about how to defeat drone attacks.”
Krishnamoorthi, a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said the U.S. must also make weapons “more resilient, faster and cheaper.” And he thinks the country should also be viewing warfare from a standpoint of “deterrence.”
“We never want to go to war. We never want a conflict. We want to prevent it. But right now, i don’t think that we are well positioned to prevent conflict,” said Krishnamoorthi, who has been a vocal critic of the Iran war. “In fact, I fear that we’re sliding toward it, in part because of what’s happening in Iran.”
Krishnamoorthi said Ukraine is almost out of PAC-3 interceptors — interceptors designed to destroy missiles and aircraft— and he wants the U.S. to adopt a strategy to phase in the co-development of the systems, either in Ukraine or in allied countries.
“Because if we don’t, I fear that a lot of Ukrainian targets are going to be sitting ducks for the Russians, especially as we approach the winter and they’ll be in a more vulnerable position,” Krishnamoorthi said.
The congressman said he also got a firsthand look at how Ukrainians are suffering, including families sheltering in their bathtubs to hide from danger.
“It’s really rough. … Tens of thousands of Ukrainians shelter in the subways underneath the city. I think one day they counted 40,000 people who actually stayed overnight in those subways because of the relentless attacks by the Russians that day,” Krishnamoorthi said. “And this takes an incredible toll on families. Not to mention the fact that you have upwards of a million men who’ve been taken away from their families. … The toll on Ukrainians can’t be overstated. But at the same time, they are some of the bravest people I’ve met.”
In Finland, Krishnamoorthi met with U.S. and Finnish officials and security partners about deterrence efforts against Russia. And in Sweden, the congressman met with Swedish partners to discuss security and defense cooperation. In Norway, Krishnamoorthi met with U.S. and Norwegian officials about Arctic and Baltic security, naval operations and efforts to counter Russian activity in the region.
Krishanmoorthi’s Italy trip included a visit to the Vatican to meet Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV, where he heard tales of the pope’s allegiance to the Chicago White Sox — and the congressman gifted him a jersey from the Cubs.