Former U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll recently praised Ukraine's military innovations during a speech at the Yalta European Strategy forum in Kyiv, his first public appearance since leaving the Trump administration. Speaking alongside former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Driscoll highlighted Ukraine's "DELTA" software platform, a system that combines real-time battlefield data from radars, sensors, and frontline soldiers. He claimed that DELTA is more advanced than any similar technology currently used by the U.S. military. Driscoll emphasized that as Ukraine continues to develop its artificial intelligence capabilities, it has the potential to outpace and out-innovate Russia on the battlefield. Driscoll, a former venture capitalist and Iraq War veteran, has long been associated with Vice President JD Vance. He served as the Army secretary for 18 months, advocating for reforms that would incorporate lessons learned from the war in Ukraine. His resignation on August 31 came amid reported disagreements with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the removal of senior officers and the pace of military modernization. The White House did not publicly explain the reasons for his departure. During his time in office, Driscoll worked to implement procurement reforms aimed at speeding up the delivery of new weapons systems. He noted that the U.S. military had initially struggled to defend against Iranian Shahed drones but received assistance from Schmidt's company, Perennial Autonomy. This firm provided 13,000 "Merops" interceptor drones and 10,000 "Bumblebee" reconnaissance and strike drones. Schmidt confirmed that Driscoll personally reached out to him for this support. Driscoll stressed the importance of learning from Ukraine's conflict, urging the U.S. military to adopt a more flexible, agile, and iterative approach. However, he expressed concern that the U.S. has been moving away from such lessons, pointing to the recent dissolution of a drone battalion dedicated to studying Ukraine's drone warfare tactics. Two of the unit's key supporters, former Army Chief of Staff General Randy George and General Christopher Donahue, were either fired or forced into early retirement this year. While Driscoll acknowledged that U.S. support for Ukraine has not fully met Kyiv's needs, he emphasized that the U.S. commitment to Ukraine has remained strong. He stated that the relationship has been "unflinching in the desire for you to be successful." However, Driscoll indicated that his greatest contribution to global security might come outside of government service.