U.S. military nudges European allies on countering small drones 5 days ago A serviceman launches an unmanned reconnaissance aircraft near the eastern Ukrainian city of Lysychansk, Lugansk region, in March 2015. (Petro Zadorozhnyy/AFP via Getty Images) COLOGNE, Germany – The U.S. military is trying to push its European allies to boost their capabilities against small unmanned aerial vehicles, as Western forces absorb lessons from the conflict last year in Nagorno-Karabakh, dubbed the first true “drone war.” U.S. European Command chief Air Force Gen. Tod Wolters told lawmakers in Washington that plans for the region involve “enforcing our allies and partners to improve” their capabilities in counter-drone warfare.