RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Through its publications, INSS provides rigorous, forward‑looking research and analysis on critical national security issues that support the joint warfighter and inform Department of War decision‑makers.

 
News | July 27, 2026

Unmanned Vehicular Systems: Why Cost as a Strategy Undermines National Power

By Dr. James Giordano and John Bitterman Small Wars Journal

The latest Small Wars Journal article by Dr. James Giordano and John Bitterman from INSS, titled "Addressing and Amending “Attritability” of Unmanned Vehicular Systems: Why Cost as a Strategy Undermines National Power," posits that the current definition of attritability as relevant to the viability and value of employing unmanned vehicular systems (UVS) is laden with inaccuracies that can affect calculation(s), planning, tolerances and thresholds for military operational engagements. This article proposes a revised definition that affords clarified insight to the multiple variables that should be regarded in any genuine considerations of UVS deployment and relative operational, tactical and strategic worth. 

Read more

UVS Unmanned Aerial Systems