Volodymyr (Vol) Berezhniy, a speaker at the Battery & Critical Materials Summit and a Ukraine-born entrepreneur based in the U.S., co-authored an article with Tomasz Nadrowski titled ‘Mineral Wars Are Becoming Motor Wars,’ published by RealClearDefense on February 27, 2026. The article explains why scaling drones and robotics depends on the motor stack - including permanent magnets - and why allied, auditable supply chains matter.
According to Nadrowski and Berezhniy, the emerging strategic edge increasingly depends on which nations can manufacture, certify, and scale the motors and actuators embedded in drones and robotic systems. They contend that the world is shifting away from what they describe as “mineral wars” toward “motor wars.” In their view, power is no longer determined primarily by which country possesses mineral resources, but by which country can produce certified motor systems for drones and robotics at scale.
The Hidden Bottleneck in Modern Conflict
The authors note that drones have already transformed the nature of warfare, while robotics has reshaped industries ranging from manufacturing and agriculture to construction and security. However, they argue that both sectors share a common constraint: the production of small, high-reliability motors and actuators.
As described in the analysis, manufacturing these motors requires a sophisticated industrial stack, including motor-grade metals, permanent magnets, copper wiring, bearings, control systems, precision machining, adhesives, and heat treatment processes. The authors state that disruptions in this midstream supply chain can halt final system production.
Permanent magnets are specifically emphasized with regard to the issue of a bottleneck. It is worth noting that the debate on the issue is focused on the extraction and processing of rare earth minerals. However, Nadrowski and Berezhniy argue that the problem actually lies further downstream with the manufacture of the permanent magnet itself. As the permanent magnet supply is tightened, the output of the motors is reduced. This has a direct impact on the manufacture of drones and robotics.
According to the authors, the problem with the supply chain is not fully addressed by the debate on the raw materials. It is suggested that the key factor with regard to the industrial supply chain is whether the entire supply chain can be traced, audited, and scaled.
The Limits of National Self-Sufficiency
The article recognizes that the United States, Europe, and Japan have all taken initiatives to build their domestic industrial base. Nevertheless, the authors of the article argue that a full motor stack supply chain build-out will necessitate a lot of investment in infrastructure, training, qualification, and compliance.
The demand for drones and robotics is still on the rise.
According to the analysis, constructing the full motor-stack supply chain within a single country in a short timeframe is unlikely to be feasible. As an alternative, the authors propose an allied production model in which manufacturing is distributed across trusted economies while maintaining shared compliance standards. They distinguish this approach from conventional outsourcing models that prioritize economies of scale and cost reduction.
A Four-Node Allied Model
Nadrowski and Berezhniy outline a framework involving four interconnected regions:
- Ukraine, positioned as a hub for engineering, rapid learning cycles, field feedback, and training.
- Europe — particularly Central, Eastern, and Northern regions — as compliant production centers.
- The United States, providing capital, procurement demand, standards enforcement, and quality systems.
- Japan and Taiwan, contributing strategic investment discipline and downstream manufacturing demand.
The authors state that the objective is not to relocate talent or weaken domestic industrial foundations. Rather, they describe a concept of “brain circulation,” whereby engineering and training capabilities remain anchored in their countries of origin while compliant production capacity expands across allied jurisdictions.
In their view, structurally distributing industrial output would reduce single-point-of-failure risks, increase system resilience, and prevent the re-emergence of concentrated industrial power that could create renewed strategic dependence.
Policy Prescriptions for the Motor Stack
The article calls for targeted policy measures focused on the component level rather than solely on upstream materials. The authors’ recommendations include:
- Defining and enforcing “trusted motor stack” standards that require traceability, supplier certification, and cross-border audit mechanisms.
- Establishing fast-track qualification pathways for compliant allied suppliers to reduce redundant procurement barriers.
- Using multi-year procurement commitments to provide demand certainty and unlock financing for mid-chain components.
- Directing public and blended finance toward tooling, workforce training, and quality assurance labs, with progress measured by qualified output rather than announced capacity.
According to the authors, predictable demand and enforceable standards are essential to attract capital into industrial capacity expansion.
Industrial Power as Strategic Leverage
Overall, the article concludes that the nature of the strategic competition that will take place in the next decade will no longer depend on the availability of the reserves, but on the ability to turn the input into certified and high reliability motors and actuators. Nadrowski and Berezhniy conclude that the weakness that exists within the current defense and industrial ecosystems is not the upstream, but the midstream manufacturing process, focusing on the magnets, precision parts, and quality-assured motor subassemblies.
Given the increasing use of drones and robots, the article concludes that the stack motor could become a structural choke point that shapes the production schedules, operational readiness, and technological competitiveness.
The article concludes that the future source of industrial power will depend on the allied manufacturing base, which will include capital, engineering, compliant production, and demand. In the article, the paradigm shifts from the resource model to the standardized manufacturing model. Alliances that can operationalize the compliant motor supply chains may enjoy greater stability and reduced vulnerability to chokepoints.
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