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Conflict & Security68 outlets ran this3 min read

US trains Polish forces in drone warfare based on Ukraine lessons

Special forces exercise simulates operating in enemy territory using tactics learned from the Ukraine conflict.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published Updated
US trains Polish forces in drone warfare based on Ukraine lessons

What this story says

  • US Army Green Berets are training Polish special forces in a drone-focused military exercise in Germany.
  • The exercise simulates moving through enemy territory and launching drone strikes, mirroring tactics used in the Ukraine conflict.
  • This is the first time a NATO ally has participated in this specific training, which is based on lessons learned from Ukraine's war with Russia.
  • The Associated Press was granted rare access to observe the training and the soldiers involved.

Who covered it

Left 39%(20)Centre 41%(22)Right 20%(10)

Percentages are shares of the 52 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 16 of the 68 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

42/100

Craft

57/100

Hype

20/100

68 sources · methodology

Missing from the right

Only 10 of the 52 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.

A reader who follows the right would not have seen this. We report the absence rather than explain it: outlets choose what to cover for many reasons, and we have no evidence about which one applies here.

US Army Green Berets are instructing Polish special forces in a drone-centric military exercise conducted in Germany. The training is designed to simulate scenarios such as infiltrating enemy lines, traversing hostile territory for miles, and executing drone strikes on critical enemy positions. This exercise is informed by the experiences of Ukrainian troops in their ongoing conflict with Russia. The Associated Press received unusual access to observe the training grounds and the participating soldiers.

The exercise, which began recently, is intended to replicate the difficulties Ukrainian forces have encountered. It is the first time a NATO ally, Poland, has taken part in this particular training. The drill involves Polish special forces attempting to bypass a U.S. Army airborne infantry unit acting as the opposing force. The scenario requires Polish soldiers to move undetected through approximately 60 miles of German countryside to reach a training area where they must destroy a simulated target.

Disagreement on exercise details

The Associated Press report states the exercise involves Polish special forces attempting to sneak past a U.S. Army airborne infantry unit. The AP report also details that the Polish forces must then move north through about 60 miles of German countryside to another training area. Digests from The Seattle Times, abc News, Ottumwa Courier, Rutland Herald, and Winnipeg Free Press mention the simulation of moving through enemy lines and launching a drone strike, but do not specify the U.S. Army airborne infantry's role or the 60-mile traversal.

Omissions

None of the right-rated digests mention the U.S. Army airborne infantry unit playing the role of the enemy, nor do they detail the 60-mile traversal through German countryside as described in the Associated Press report.

Tags:#DroneWarfare#MilitaryExercise#NATO#UkraineConflict#SpecialForces#Poland

Coverage settled. We checked this 33 times and stopped on 5 Sept 2026, 07:00. The figures above are what it finished at.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

20 rated outlets

  • Left-rated reports led on the U.S. coaching Polish forces in a drone-focused drill based on Ukraine lessons. These reports highlighted the simulation of moving through enemy lines and launching drone strikes on key enemy locations. They also noted the exercise's design to replicate challenges faced by Ukrainian troops in their conflict with Russia. The Associated Press's rare access to the training ground and troops was also mentioned.

Centre

22 rated outlets

  • Centre-rated reports focused on the U.S. coaching Polish forces in a drone-focused drill informed by lessons from Ukraine. These digests mentioned the simulation of moving through enemy lines and executing drone strikes on enemy locations. They also noted the exercise's purpose in replicating challenges faced by Ukrainian troops. Several centre-rated digests included the opening descriptive paragraph from the Associated Press report about soldiers emerging on a rainy night.

Right

10 rated outlets

  • The right‑rated digests all led on a US‑run exercise in Germany in which Polish special forces practiced drone‑focused tactics derived from the Ukraine conflict. They note that US Army Green Berets are coaching the troops, that the drill simulates moving through enemy lines and striking a target, and that it took place at a base in Hohenfels under moonless, rainy conditions.
  • Several digests added context, describing the training site as a ramshackle building made to look like a church and noting the surrounding alpine terrain. One outlet called the war in Ukraine a textbook for future combat, while another highlighted NATO’s push to adapt covert operations and the broader tension with Russia. A few used the term ‘exclusive’ in their headlines.
  • None of the right‑rated digests mention a cost estimate for the exercise, nor do they quote officials from the US Department of Defense or the Polish Ministry of Defence. They also omit any analysis of the strategic implications beyond the brief reference to NATO and the Ukraine war.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover US trains Polish forces in drone warfare based on Ukraine lessons?
Of the 52 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 39% are rated left, 41% are rated centre, 20% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 68. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is US trains Polish forces in drone warfare based on Ukraine lessons left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 52 rated outlets on this story, 39% are rated left, 41% are rated centre, 20% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of US trains Polish forces in drone warfare based on Ukraine lessons biased?
US trains Polish forces in drone warfare based on Ukraine lessons is one event reported by 68 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which side is not reporting US trains Polish forces in drone warfare based on Ukraine lessons?
When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
Which outlets covered US trains Polish forces in drone warfare based on Ukraine lessons?
68 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
What is the purpose of the military exercise?
The exercise is designed to train Polish special forces in drone warfare and operating behind enemy lines, using tactics and lessons learned from the conflict in Ukraine. It simulates moving through enemy territory and launching drone strikes.
Who is participating in the exercise?
The exercise involves members of the Polish special forces being coached by U.S. Army Green Berets. U.S. Army airborne infantry soldiers are playing the role of the enemy force.
Why is this exercise significant?
This is the first time a NATO ally, Poland, has participated in this specific training. It highlights the growing focus on drone warfare and the adaptation of battlefield lessons from Ukraine into NATO training.

Read it at the source

68 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

20
Show 12 more

Centre

22
Show 14 more

Right

10
Show 2 more

Not rated

16
Show 8 more

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

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