The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command–sponsored online magazine Indo-Pacific Defense Forum published an article on January 27, noting that Taiwan is drawing lessons from Ukraine’s battlefield experience and integrating drone tactics into its asymmetric defense strategy. The article cites insights from Samara Duerr, a national security policy analyst at DSET, emphasizing that Taiwan–Ukraine drone cooperation is mutually complementary and that Taiwan’s investment in UAVs is a cornerstone of its survival strategy.
Indo-Pacific Defense Forum is an online military magazine and news platform sponsored by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, serving as a forum for military professionals and defense and security experts across the region. On January 27, the platform published the article “Taiwan Looks to Partner with Ukraine on Drone Capabilities,” which draws on Duerr’s recent op-ed in The Diplomat analyzing the significant potential for Taiwan–Ukraine cooperation in the drone sector.
Quoting Duerr, the article notes that Taiwan can learn from Ukraine’s experience in building resilient supply chains. Ukraine’s wartime lessons have demonstrated that redundancy strategies in drone production not only stabilize manufacturing lines and enhance resilience, but also help forge long-term political partnerships—making self-reliant manufacturing capacity at scale a strategic necessity.
Duerr further analyzes that the drone industries of Taiwan and Ukraine are highly complementary. Taiwan can help expand Ukraine’s production capacity, while Ukraine’s real-world combat experience and technical expertise can enhance Taiwan’s manufacturing capabilities and strengthen its national defense. Such cooperation also increases industrial autonomy for both sides and reduces dependence on monopolized supply chains—particularly for critical components such as batteries and magnets that rely on China-controlled rare earth elements.
Duerr expressed confidence in the partnership, stating:
“The war in Ukraine has fundamentally reshaped the nature of modern conflict, and Taiwan’s bold bet on the drone industry has become the starting point of its survival strategy.”
According to the latest data compiled by DSET, as of October 2025, Taiwan’s two largest export markets for drones were the Czech Republic and Poland, with a combined total of more than 55,000 units, most of which were ultimately transshipped to Ukraine.
