The Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET) visited the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on May 5 and met with Kateryna Bondar, Senior Fellow at the Wadhwani AI Center. The two sides exchanged views on Taiwan-Ukraine cooperation on unmanned aerial systems (UAS), lessons from the use of UAS on the Russia-Ukraine battlefield, the role of commercial technology in defense innovation, and the implications of related tactical developments for security in the Taiwan Strait.
During the meeting, DSET Analyst Cathy Fang introduced DSET’s newly released policy report, Drone Superpower: Ukraine’s Success and Opportunities for Taiwan Ukraine Cooperation, and outlined the current state and potential opportunities for cooperation between Taiwan and Ukraine in the areas of the UAS industry, operational experience, training mechanisms, and supply chain resilience.
Bondar emphasized during the meeting that commercial technology plays a key role in advancing UAS innovation and battlefield applications, and agreed that the United States can play an important role in facilitating cooperation between Taiwan and Ukraine. She noted that Ukraine’s UAS strengths are reflected not only in hardware manufacturing and deployment capabilities, but also in frontline operational experience and operator training. Taiwan and Ukraine could deepen exchanges in these areas going forward.
The two sides also discussed the latest developments in UAS on the Russia-Ukraine battlefield and their possible implications for China’s military development. Bondar shared recent tactical developments in Russia’s use of UAS swarms and noted that the relevant technologies and operational concepts have gradually matured, particularly in areas such as decentralized control and autonomous reconfiguration, which merit close attention. DSET shared its observations on China’s development and planning of UAS swarms, noting that China has incorporated related tactical concepts into its operational planning for Taiwan Strait scenarios and may continue to absorb lessons from the RussiaㄦUkraine battlefield to refine its planning.
In addition, the two sides discussed the applications and limitations of fully autonomous UAS on the modern battlefield. Bondar described the experience of Russia and Ukraine in using fully autonomous UAS systems and noted that such technologies still face challenges related to target identification and decision-making accountability. The two sides further discussed the application of fully autonomous UAS in Taiwan Strait scenarios and their possible implications for the development of a future conflict.
