Vector Defense: Building American Drone Dominance
Podcast: Mission Matters PodcastPublished On: Wed Feb 18 2026
Description: Drones are re-defining modern warfare – and the U.S. is behind. On the latest Mission Matters episode, we sat down with Andy Yakulis, CEO & Co-Founder of Vector Defense, to discuss what it will actually take to achieve American Drone Dominance.Vector isn’t just building drones. They describe their business model as “Modern Warfare as a Service.” Instead of waiting years to push hardware through traditional procurement pathways, they deliver integrated capability — technology, tactics, training, and battlefield feedback loops — under service contracts that tap into O&M funding.We discuss:- Why the Pentagon’s $1B Drone Dominance initiative is the clearest USG demand signal for attritable systems yet- How “Drone as a Service” business model unlocks O&M funding (the largest color of money)- Lessons from Ukraine & Israel (and why it’s not copy-paste for the U.S.)- Building a China-free supply chain and re-industrializing American drone manufacturing
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