The High Cost of Low-Cost Warfare
‘If we don’t figure out a way to fight far more cheaply, we won’t be able to afford to win a single battle.’ This warning from Peter W. Singer, an American strategist, reflects a reality that the arithmetic of warfare has inverted. The economic equation of conflict has changed so rapidly that a USD 500 drone can now target billion-dollar assets of state-of-the-art militaries. Meanwhile, the cost of counter-drone technology has risen to an absurd level. This cost curve has become a greatest vulnerability and a critical weakness for major powers. Consequently, states are indulging in a race not just to build cheaper and expendable drones but also affordable




