What’s in This Week’s Issue…

Good morning. Every few decades, a new weapon reshapes the nature of war.

Tanks did it in WWII. Fighter jets did it in the Cold War. And now it’s drones.

Not just surveillance drones or toy-sized quadcopters, but loitering munitions, suicide drones, AI-powered swarms, and even naval kamikaze boats.

They’re precise, cheap, and now available everywhere. And behind this transformation is a deeper shift in power, markets, and how the next world war might be fought.

So this week…

• 🏆 The Big Play: How modern conflicts made drones the frontline weapon of 21^st -century warfare

• 💪 The Power Move: What drones teach us about building leverage and influence

• 💵 Follow the Money: Trump accepted a $400 million jet from Qatar. Is it even allowed?

-GEN

🏆 The Big Play

The biggest money power story of the week.

Why Every Country Now Wants War Drones

Drones aren’t new. The U.S. first used them in Afghanistan. Israel used them in Gaza. But something changed in the last five years.

Wars that were once fought with jets, missiles, and tanks are now being shaped by flying robots.

From loitering munitions that hover and wait for targets, to naval drones that sink ships without a single pilot on board, to $500 FPVs that destroy million-dollar tanks. The future of war is already here. And it’s unmanned.

This is how drones became the centerpiece of modern warfare:

1. From Reconnaissance to Revolution

Drones were first introduced as surveillance tools that could hover without risk. But modern warfare pushed them far beyond that.

And it started with one realization: drones don’t just reduce risk. They shift the economics of war.

• Bayraktar TB2s used by Ukraine cost $2-5M and are built in Turkey.

• Iranian Shahed drones used by Russia? Around $35K each.

• Indian loitering munitions like SkyStriker cost around $100 K.

Compare that to a fighter jet at $100 million. Or a tank at $10 million.

But it’s not just the cost. It’s the strategy:

• Drones let smaller countries bypass traditional military gaps. They allow militaries to attack, surveil, and disrupt, all without risking a pilot or boots on the ground.

• That made drones attractive not just for defense, but for offense, and the big powers noticed.

By 2023, the global market for drone warfare crossed $25 billion. And it’s still rising.

But the real evolution became clear on the battlefield. And if you’ve been paying attention, you’ve already seen it in the recent conflicts.

2. The Conflicts That Changed Modern Warfare

Drones were already used in precision strikes. But recent conflicts proved they could also rewrite the structure of war itself:

🇺🇦 Ukraine vs Russia

It was the first war in history where nearly every frontline unit had drone support:

• Ukraine turned to small commercial drones, even off-the-shelf quadcopters, to target Russian tanks, jam radars, and drop payloads on trenches.

• They weren’t just attacking. They were watching everything, creating real-time battlefield intelligence for troops and artillery.

• It was also the first war in which drones accounted for nearly 80% of the casualties of one side. And that reshaped the balance of power on the ground.

🇮🇱 Israel vs Hamas / Hezbollah / Houthis

Israel’s drone program is one of the most advanced in the world. It’s not just about strikes, it’s about surveillance and control.

In Gaza and Lebanon, drones are used for:

• Target identification in dense urban zones

• Interception of incoming rockets

• Coordinated air strikes with live feedback loops

Meanwhile, Hezbollah and the Houthis are now using commercial drones modified with explosives, turning mere $500 tools into kamikaze threats.

🇮🇳 India vs Pakistan

Last week, the world saw its first drone war between nuclear rivals:

• Triggered by a terrorist attack in Kashmir, India used drones for precision strikes on terror training camps in Pakistan.

• India relied on locally made SkyStriker and Israeli Harop drones in these strikes.

• Pakistan retaliated with Chinese and Turkish Yiha drones.

These aren’t isolated stories. They’re signals.

Because if you're watching what militaries are buying, you're already seeing the future.

3. The New Arms Race: Who Owns the Sky?

This is where it gets bigger than any one conflict. Because drones aren’t just a weapon anymore. They’re a market and a race.

As of 2024:

• Over 110 countries now operate military drones.

• China exports more drones than any other country, especially to the Middle East and Africa.

• The U.S. is trying to catch up in tactical systems, but export restrictions hold it back.

• Russia is building secret drone factories with Iranian support to reduce dependency on imports.

• India is investing heavily in domestic military drone manufacturing under its “Make in India” push.

It’s not just about buying drones. It’s about owning production, supply chains, and the data infrastructure they generate.

Because whoever owns the drones doesn’t just win battles. They control the airspace, the narrative, and the information.

And this shift has real consequences.

Because if you're not building autonomy, you're depending on someone else's.

💪 The Power Moves

Playbook for understanding the game of power.

How You Can Scale Your Influence Like a Superpower

The rise of drones proves something bigger: Power no longer lies in bulk. It lies in systems.

Drones are powerful not because they’re weapons, but because they are modular, intelligent, and scalable. They allow even smaller countries to play in big leagues, not by matching firepower, but by engineering leverage.

And this isn’t just about power. It’s a lesson for your own life, business, and career:

Leverage isn’t always size. It’s how you position yourself in a system that scales you.

The Takeaway

Whether it’s drones in battle or ideas in the market, the ones who win aren’t the biggest.

They’re the ones who build infrastructure that makes their force multiply, whether it is military or economic.

So don’t just build things.

Build systems that compound your influence, even when you are not there.

💵 Following the Money

Three of the wildest financial and corruption stories from around the world.

#1 - Before accepting the $400M jet, Trump called out Qatar’s ties to terrorism.

#2 - Airlines say a nuke won’t ground the world anymore

#3 - Why are white South Africans being settled into the U.S. as refugees?

✨ Poll time!

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