Defense Technology Innovation in Ukraine

This Capstone demonstrated the operational effects of long-range one-way attack (LROWA) platforms in contested airspace and examined how the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) might approach acquiring them. Beyond exploring a capability the United States might seek to adopt, this report used LROWA platforms as a lens to examine agile, procedural innovations in military acquisitions. 

The DIU tasked the Capstone team to discern which advances warrant institutional attention and what policy measures are needed to build upon them. Having conducted wide-ranging scoping interviews with private- and public-sector subject matter experts, the team focused on how Ukraine has addressed its need for cost-effective deep strikes into Russian territory, despite restrictions on military aid. By targeting Russian defense and energy sectors far behind the front line, Ukraine has gained greater leverage over Russian forces. The United States has no equivalent indigenously produced capability, and the existing acquisitions framework inhibits the development of one—despite war-game simulations indicating that U.S. conventional magazine depth in the Indo-Pacific is critically low. The final report was structured in two parts: (1) a novel case study of LROWA platforms, tracing their development from initial battlefield demand to deployment and iteration; and (2) an analysis of current U.S. acquisitions policy, identifying necessary reforms to develop a cost-effective deep-strike capability. Overall, this report will highlight how strategic objectives shaped Ukrainian