Why Western Training for Ukrainian Troops Skips Drone Pilot Lessons

Operation Legio, a Norway-led multinational effort, is training Ukrainian soldiers at Camp Jomsborg in southeastern Poland. The program is not running drone piloting or electronic warfare courses because Ukraine did not request them and already has strong education in those areas. Instead, the training is designed around what Ukraine says it needs, with Ukrainian instructors working alongside allied trainers.

The absence of beginner drone courses does not mean drones are absent from training. Ukrainian troops use drones in broader medical, engineering, and infantry scenarios, including trench observation, casualty response under drone threat, and marksmanship against drones. Opposing forces role-playing as Russian troops also use drones so soldiers face conditions closer to the battlefield they will return to.

Ukrainian instructors serve as subject matter experts on drones and electronic warfare, sharing how Russia and Ukraine use these capabilities. A drone center at the camp provides gear, repairs, space to test tactics, and tools such as 3D printing. The setup also sends lessons back to Norway and other allied participants, reversing the traditional trainer-student dynamic in areas where Ukraine has deep combat experience.

The program’s approach highlights a practical shift: Western partners are combining their doctrine and leadership experience with Ukraine’s battlefield-tested methods. Drones, ground robots, and electronic warfare are treated as assets that enhance other courses rather than standalone skills taught from scratch. For allied militaries, Ukraine’s experience is also a source of lessons on modern warfare and the need to rebuild electronic warfare capacity.