“In just 15 minutes, four of our pilot crews could turn any NATO base into another Pearl Harbor.” With this stark warning in July, Magyar, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, described how outdated NATO’s military doctrines have become in the face of today’s warfareIronically, the first NATO country to prove his words true was Poland — the frontline state that spends the highest percentage of GDP on defense among all Alliance members, constantly purchases modern, expensive equipment, hosts U.S. troops, and is considered the best prepared in Europe for a potential war with Russia.Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto summed up the debate on his country’s readiness even more bluntly in an interview yesterday: “We are not prepared either for a Russian attack or for aggression from any other state.”Polish media report that debris from one of the drones was found near the city of Olesno, close to Gdańsk. If it had come from Ukraine, that would mean a flight of more than 400 kilometers from the border. But given the drones’ maximum range of 700 kilometers, their appearance near Gdańsk could just as well mean they were launched from Russia’s Kaliningrad region or from a warship in the Baltic Sea. Either way, both Russia and NATO members in Europe have received a clear wake-up call about the adequacy of their military doctrines.After the Russian drone incident, Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski urged the West to consider intercepting Russian UAVs and missiles in Ukrainian airspace. In effect, this may be NATO’s only chance to learn how modern air warfare actually looks, while avoiding a direct clash with Russia.Theoretical knowledge of this war quickly becomes obsolete. Consider Bayraktar drones or Javelins: once celebrated, they are now mentioned far less often, as their effectiveness has diminished in new conditions. Russia continually upgrades its drones, just as Ukraine constantly improves its countermeasures. By 2025, many “lessons” written in textbooks could already be outdated.If NATO truly wants the capability to defend itself, its units must train alongside commanders like Magyar — and practice daily intercepts of Russian drones in Ukrainian skies.Following the Russian attack on Poland, debates continue over how NATO should respond. Clearly, the answer must be strong enough to ensure Moscow “cannot repeat” such aggression. Joint interception of drones and missiles over Ukraine would not only give NATO forces essential combat experience in modern air warfare but also deliver a powerful response to Russian attacks — one the Kremlin could not ignore.SourceMykola Kniazhytskyi, journalist and Member of Parliament of Ukraine.The views expressed in opinion columns are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the editorial board.