Asymmetric Warfare Becoming Decisive In The Iran And Ukraine Conflicts

BusinessAerospace & DefenseAsymmetric Warfare Becoming Decisive In The Iran And Ukraine ConflictsByMichael P. Dempsey,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Dempsey is a senior advisor at The Eurasia Group,Follow AuthorApr 27, 2026, 12:54pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.DONETSK OBLAST, UKRAINE - SEPTEMBER 3: Ukrainian soldiers train with armed ground robots at an undisclosed location in the Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, 3 September 2025. (Photo by Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images)Anadolu via Getty ImagesA new battlefield dynamic is quietly taking shape in the increasingly devastating conflicts in Iran and Ukraine. Asymmetric warfare, long a staple in the arsenal of guerilla units and insurgents battling much larger military forces, has become a key part of the Iranian and Ukrainian militaries warfighting approach. It’s now likely, in my view, given the outsized effects of these new tools and strategies that they will be a core part of international conflicts for the foreseeable future. The Iran WarIn a little less than two months, the combined US-Israeli military campaign against Iran has been effective in crippling the country’s military and undermining its ability to mount a conventional defense. The US-Israeli offensive has at this point launched more than 17,000 airstrikes on Iran, hitting key ballistic and drone manufacturing facilities, sinking most of the Iranian navy, disrupting the regime’s ability to exercise command-and-control of far-flung units, and devastating key parts of Iran’s defense industrial base. Yet none of this has prevented Iran from launching an effective asymmetric response, incorporating non-traditional weapons and tactics to stymie its adversaries. On the weapons front, Iran has used its vast arsenal of low-cost drones, with some pre-war estimates placing its drone fleet in the tens of thousa...