I wrote an op-ed for Defence Procurement International.

Ukraine is currently codifying 150 new systems per month. The greatest capability is has built is capability building itself. This hasn't landed everywhere.

When I wrote this piece for Defence Procurement in March and April of this year, I secretly hoped that, by the time it would be published, I would be wrong.

Unfortunately, I am not wrong. Ukraine's most crucial success factor, a vibrant industry, full of healthy competitors, is not yet something an EU nation, including my home country, is willing to reproduce.

In the article, I describe why this is the only known path to unmanned systems deterrence in free economies, why there is no alternative, and how to get there.

In the piece, I propose the designation of a large amount (tens) of decentralized testing and iteration centers - Capability Factories - run by operators, where startups and established suppliers can easily - without any unnecessary bureaucratic hoops or human gatekeepers - settle for a week or two and work on their solutions together with actual soldiers.

The soldiers receive training and experience, industry receives desperately needed contact with the forces and can collect procurement brownie points, procurement learns what the bar is and can set it with confidence without being proven wrong by Ukraine, Russia or Iran half an hour later.

We're faced with a choice: either we implement the only model known to be the next best thing to innovation under fire, or we decide to bottleneck our innovators and paternalize our service-members.

One EU nation willbe the first to get it right, and dominate the pace of EU defense innovation.

Do you see an alternative?