Drone Dominance: Seizing War’s New High Ground
John Antal
Nov 2026 · Casemate
Ebook
288
Pages
Tools
info
family_home
Eligible
info
infoThis book will become available on November 30, 2026. You will not be charged until it is released.
About this ebook
A study of how drone warfare is transforming modern combat by shifting tactical dominance into low-altitude, contested battlespace.
There is a revolutionary upheaval happening right now in warfare: the explosive rise of small unmanned systems—drones—has permanently and irrevocably shattered the old rules of battle, seizing the decisive “high ground” from timeless physical landmarks like ridgelines and hilltops and thrusting it into fiercely contested low-altitude battlespace where swarms of cheap, lethal machines now hold absolute sway over life and death.
In these pages, the author introduces, rigorously defines, and fully operationalizes the game-changing concept of Drone Dominance—the national condition that enables Drone Superiority—the mastery of this new aerial littoral that determines who sees first, strikes first, and survives—while delivering a searing, evidence-driven dissection of the contemporary battlespace through the crucible of today’s most brutal conflicts: Ukraine’s nightmarish “drone-saturated” stalemate, where millions of low-cost FPV and kamikaze drones have turned the front into a transparent kill zone claiming up to 80% of casualties, frozen maneuver, and rendered traditional armored assaults suicidal; Israel’s sophisticated “all-arms combat” operations in Gaza and Lebanon, fusing AI-targeted swarms, autonomous ground robots, and persistent low-altitude ISR/strike to crush urban and subterranean threats while slashing troop exposure to near-zero; and the explosive direct U.S.-Israeli joint military operations against Iran, unleashing coordinated missile, drone, and airstrikes on nuclear sites, missile facilities, leadership compounds, and command structures amid massive retaliatory barrages.
This is no mere evolution—it is a rupture: drones have democratized devastating lethality for states and proxies alike, compressed decision cycles to split seconds, forced frantic races in electronic warfare and counter-UAS defenses, and exposed the fragility of legacy forces without low-altitude control. Any military failing to seize and hold this invisible high ground will suffer catastrophic paralysis, unacceptable losses, and the irreversible loss of initiative. The future of war has arrived with brutal finality, and achieving Drone Dominance is no longer an option; it is the unforgiving path to survival and victory on the modern battlefield.
There is a revolutionary upheaval happening right now in warfare: the explosive rise of small unmanned systems—drones—has permanently and irrevocably shattered the old rules of battle, seizing the decisive “high ground” from timeless physical landmarks like ridgelines and hilltops and thrusting it into fiercely contested low-altitude battlespace where swarms of cheap, lethal machines now hold absolute sway over life and death.
In these pages, the author introduces, rigorously defines, and fully operationalizes the game-changing concept of Drone Dominance—the national condition that enables Drone Superiority—the mastery of this new aerial littoral that determines who sees first, strikes first, and survives—while delivering a searing, evidence-driven dissection of the contemporary battlespace through the crucible of today’s most brutal conflicts: Ukraine’s nightmarish “drone-saturated” stalemate, where millions of low-cost FPV and kamikaze drones have turned the front into a transparent kill zone claiming up to 80% of casualties, frozen maneuver, and rendered traditional armored assaults suicidal; Israel’s sophisticated “all-arms combat” operations in Gaza and Lebanon, fusing AI-targeted swarms, autonomous ground robots, and persistent low-altitude ISR/strike to crush urban and subterranean threats while slashing troop exposure to near-zero; and the explosive direct U.S.-Israeli joint military operations against Iran, unleashing coordinated missile, drone, and airstrikes on nuclear sites, missile facilities, leadership compounds, and command structures amid massive retaliatory barrages.
This is no mere evolution—it is a rupture: drones have democratized devastating lethality for states and proxies alike, compressed decision cycles to split seconds, forced frantic races in electronic warfare and counter-UAS defenses, and exposed the fragility of legacy forces without low-altitude control. Any military failing to seize and hold this invisible high ground will suffer catastrophic paralysis, unacceptable losses, and the irreversible loss of initiative. The future of war has arrived with brutal finality, and achieving Drone Dominance is no longer an option; it is the unforgiving path to survival and victory on the modern battlefield.
A study of how drone warfare is transforming modern combat by shifting tactical dominance into low-altitude, contested battlespace.
There is a revolutionary upheaval happening right now in warfare: the explosive rise of small unmanned systems—drones—has permanently and irrevocably shattered the ...
Discover more
About the author
Colonel John F. Antal, U.S. Army (Ret.), is the author of more than a dozen books on military history, strategy, and leadership, including 7 Seconds to Die (Casemate, 2022), Next War (Casemate, 2023), and Drone Dominance (Casemate, 2026). In the U.S. Army, he commanded from platoon to regiment, including the 16th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Knox. A West Point, Command and General Staff College, and Army War College graduate, he is a noted speaker and expert on leadership and the changing character of war. He served as Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and as G3 of III Armored Corps. After retiring, he led teams that developed AAA video games and served as Managing Editor of an interactive magazine. He has appeared on television and radio, received the U.S. Congressional Veterans Award in 2017, and served on the Army Science Board. Contact him at JohnAntal.com.
Colonel John F. Antal, U.S. Army (Ret.), is the author of more than a dozen books on military history, strategy, and leadership, including 7 Seconds to Die (Casemate, 2022), Next War (Casemate, 2023), and Drone Dominance (Casemate, 2026). In the U.S. Army, he commanded from platoon to regiment, i...
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
