Ukrainian Drone Operators “Destroyed” U.S. Brigade During Exercises in Germany

Ukrainian drone operators “defeated” U.S. forces during the Combined Resolve exercise, which took place in Germany earlier this year.

The Wall Street Journal reports on the exercise.

The publication notes that the exercise, together with U.S. losses in Iran, demonstrated the vulnerability of American forces to drones — years after the United States made unmanned systems an integral part of modern warfare.

The Pentagon has recently spent billions of dollars acquiring new drone technologies and counter-drone systems, as well as establishing specialized units to operate them.

The Combined Resolve exercise in Germany provided an opportunity to apply Ukrainian combat experience, with a particular focus on the use of tactical unmanned aerial systems.

The exercise, held in April and May, tested soldiers’ ability to employ drones and counter them. Such systems are widely used on the front lines and have become one of the dominant elements of the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Over the past several years, U.S. Army Europe and Africa has used the presence of Ukrainian troops to involve them in exercises, allowing American and allied forces to gain hard-earned combat experience directly on a simulated battlefield.

About 3,500 U.S. service members took part in the exercise, most of them from the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Cavalry Division.

Their task was to attack enemy positions at the training range. The opposing force, or OPFOR, was reinforced by Ukrainian drone operators from the 412th Nemesis Regiment of the Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces.

According to U.S. officials familiar with the exercise and one of its participants, Ukrainian drone operators “destroyed” the American armored brigade.

Ukrainian drones disabled American equipment so quickly that it had to be returned to the exercise as new units or “resurrected” to keep the maneuvers going.

According to a U.S. Army representative, the units that took part in the exercise in rotation gradually improved their performance as they learned to disperse more effectively, camouflage themselves, and employ electronic warfare systems.

In addition, midway through the exercise, the Ukrainian troops switched sides and helped the Americans use unmanned systems more effectively during offensive operations.

It is worth recalling that during the Hedgehog 2025 exercise in May 2025, Ukrainian drone operators defeated a combined NATO battle group consisting of several thousand troops, including British and Estonian personnel, who were attempting to conduct a mechanized assault.