Ukraine's Operation Web Has Unexpectedly Backfired In The U.S.

• 29.01.2026, 11:30

The Ministry of War published a report.

The United States of America has recorded serious problems with defense infrastructure protection from drone attacks. This was preceded by the appearance of unknown drones over American facilities and the successful Ukrainian special operation "Web" against the aircraft of the aggressor country Russia.

This is stated in the report of the inspector general of the U.S. Department of War, cited by the Defense News. The document notes that the key problem is not a lack of resources, but bureaucratic inconsistency and unclear rules.

In particular, the U.S. Code does not list training bases among the facilities that must necessarily be protected from drones. Because of this, Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, where personnel and pilots of F-35 fighter jets are trained, formally should not have UAV countermeasures. Thus, in the event of a drone attack, those in charge have no legal grounds to counter the drones, even if the appropriate systems are at the base's disposal.

A similar confusion has arisen around the U.S. Air Force's Palmdale Plant 42, which was attacked several times by "unknown" drones two years ago. Despite the fact that the facility is on the list of protected facilities, the U.S. Air Force said that the plant was allegedly not included in the list. At the same time, the Pentagon could not give a clear answer.

Separately, the report raises the issue of responsibility for protecting defense facilities. Exercises to counter small drones showed the need to create a structure that would coordinate the actions of various authorities during the repulsion of such attacks. The drills also defined time limits for response: once a drone appears over an object, the relevant services have only 67 seconds to exchange information and determine whether the drone is hostile or domestic.