The halt in U.S. military aid once again underscores a key point: only domestic production, in-house innovation, and breakthrough technologies can give the Ukrainian Defense Forces a real edge on the battlefield.First, let’s assume the baseline scenario: the Trump administration is unlikely to approve new aid for Ukraine. At best, the U.S. might agree to sell certain critical systems, such as Patriot air defenses and missiles.Second, Ukraine’s partners, both in the U.S. and the EU, often cannot supply the kinds of technological solutions Ukrainian forces need in real combat. A recent example is interceptor drones to stop Russian Shaheds. Even if the West wanted to help, they simply don’t have these systems. It's up to Ukraine to develop and scale these anti-Shahed solutions on its own.Ukraine has clearly entered a new phase of warfare — one where battlefield advantage depends on the rapid technological evolution of weapons systems. These systems are constantly adapting, seeking new ways to destroy the enemy while also countering the opponent’s latest technological and tactical innovations.One striking example is the dominance of drones, particularly those using fiber-optic control. Their emergence is already reshaping offensive and defensive tactics, altering the design of fortifications and logistics, and redefining the roles of traditional weapons — tanks, artillery, and even air defense systems. This highlights the ongoing transformation of the battlefield's technological and tactical landscape. The pace of change is so fast that it demands the seamless integration of private initiative and innovation with centralized coordination and scaling at the state level.Volunteer and private-sector actors are producing breakthrough technologies at an impressive rate. But without strong government support, especially in scaling up production, these innovations struggle to reach the level of technological and industrial impact needed to meet the demands of full-scale war.At present, Ukraine’s state defense apparatus appears to be stalled. The Ministry of Defense remains primarily focused on equipping the Armed Forces with existing weapon systems and lacks the institutional capacity to drive technological innovation or oversee weapons development. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Strategic Industries remains overly fixated on supporting state-owned enterprises, creating an imbalance that hampers the implementation of critically needed projects for the Ukrainian Defense Forces.In contrast, it is Ukraine’s private developers and manufacturers who form the core of the country’s most advanced technological and production capabilities. This is both logical and inevitable: the speed of battlefield transformation and technological adaptation demands a system that is open, flexible, and responsive to innovation. And the core of such a system is private manufacturers and developers.In the current circumstances, Ukraine urgently needs proactive leadership from the central executive body responsible for coordinating all aspects of defense production. A coordination center is essential — one that drives key weapons programs, fosters the development of advanced technologies and effective battlefield solutions, and, most importantly, ensures their rapid scaling.In theory, such a structure already exists: the Ministry of Strategic Industries. However, it is difficult to say that the ministry has truly assumed the role of main coordinator for national defense development.That said, the Ministry of Strategic Industries has a number of notable achievements. These include launching joint ventures with Germany’s Rheinmetall and localizing the production of Turkish Bayraktar drones in Ukraine, with plans for full-scale manufacturing, an R&D center, and maintenance facilities. Ministry representatives have also signed dozens of memorandums with European and American manufacturers, organized several international forums, and conducted ongoing communications campaigns across Europe to promote Ukraine’s defense industry.However, these are only initial steps that must ultimately produce tangible results on the battlefield. Between signing a memorandum and deploying a scalable weapons system lies a wide gap filled with complex organizational tasks, financial mechanisms, and bureaucratic hurdles. The situation at the front demands an immediate shift from declarations of intent to the creation of a clear defense vertical focused on speed, efficiency, and technological adaptability.This requires strengthening the role of the Ministry of Defense as the strategic planning authority responsible for identifying the Defense Forces’ needs to maximize the effectiveness of countering Russian aggression. Based on those needs, the Ministry of Strategic Industries must build an efficient ecosystem that enables both private and state-owned companies to develop and produce the most effective technological solutions for the battlefield.In this context, it seems logical to implement long-standing plans to establish a Ukrainian equivalent of DARPA within the Ministry of Strategic Industries — a body tasked with consolidating advanced ideas, technologies, and solutions, and providing comprehensive support for their verification, testing, and scaling.Furthermore, the Ministry of Strategic Industries should assume responsibility for preparing and supporting the rapid launch of mass production of critical weapons systems. It can also provide targeted support for key areas such as missile and ammunition production, interceptor and ground drones, air defense, and intelligence capabilities.As a result, the following defense industry matrix could emerge: the Ministry of Defense would handle strategic planning, identification of needs, and procurement; the Ministry of Strategic Industries would focus on aggregating advanced technologies, supporting R&D, preparing production capabilities, coordinating key weapons development programs, and ensuring scalability; and developers and manufacturers — regardless of ownership or nationality, including Ukrainian, EU, and NATO partners — would carry out production. Such an ecosystem could serve as the technological backbone of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, enhancing their advanced combat capabilities and providing a critical edge on the battlefield.However, this matrix has yet to be fully established. In early July, the Ministry of Defense introduced a new initiative aimed at simplifying and accelerating weapons delivery to the front: the DOT-Chain Defence project. This platform is designed to function as a modern military marketplace, enabling rapid procurement and delivery of arms with minimal bureaucratic delays.The pilot phase currently includes 10 brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Ministry of Defense has allocated ₴1 billion to the Defense Procurement Agency to implement the project. With these funds, brigades can order FPV drones via the State Logistics Operator's IT system, and soon, other categories such as UAVs, electronic warfare equipment, and robotic systems. Each brigade will be able to procure the tools it specifically needs to accomplish its operational tasks.Importantly, the Defense Procurement Agency will handle both financing and logistics, ensuring significantly faster delivery times: weapons and equipment that previously took months to arrive will now be delivered in a matter of weeks.At the same time, a similar marketplace, Brave1 Market, launched by the Ministry of Digital Transformation together with the Brave1 Defense Technology Cluster in April this year, continues to operate. It is an online platform where the military can quickly find and purchase modern technologies for the front. In fact, we can say that the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the Ministry of Defense are creating similar mechanisms that should improve the supply of weapons and military equipment to the Defense Forces. This is definitely a positive development of the system, although it is somewhat asynchronous in terms of the functionality of both ministries and the tasks of ensuring the combat capability of the Defense Forces. Moreover, this configuration clearly lacks the Ministry of Strategic Industries, which is supposed to coordinate and support the activities of such projects.We are currently at a stage of war when only technological superiority can ensure victory on the battlefield. This trend will intensify with each new round of confrontation between the means of destruction and defense, as well as with each new battle in which ground platforms or naval drones or UAVs are successfully used. Therefore, building a clear and effective system of defense-industrial and technological dominance will guarantee Ukraine's victory on the battlefield and protection of the nation from the genocidal war waged by Russia. But, again, there is no time for long deliberations and wrong decisions, the limit has been exhausted, because Russia is not going to stop.This material was prepared in cooperation with the Consortium for Defense Information (CDI), a project uniting Ukrainian analytical and research organizations aimed at strengthening informational support and analytical capacity in the fields of national security, defense, and geopolitics.