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The drawdown means Romania will need its European allies to step up, said Oana Lungescu, a former NATO spokesperson and a distinguished fellow with the Royal United Services Institute think tank. The U.S. decision is "an opportunity for France and other Europeans to consider how they can contribute even more presence and show that they are indeed stepping up...Romania has been focusing for decades on the strategic partnership with the U.S. It’s also an opportunity to diversify in terms of deployments, training and capabilities."

The move may reflect Labour's preference to recentralise policing to deal with a strained system – suggesting it could be about to enact some radical changes.

Drones can give a “decisive advantage” to defenders by making the battlefield transparent, said Bob Tollast, a RUSI research fellow. Ukraine’s small, semi-autonomous units were highly effective in causing chaos when Russia had no advanced drone operation of its own. But Moscow has made a huge effort to absorb the lessons Ukraine has learned, Tollast said. Now, Kyiv must counter Rubikon’s highly organised strategy by developing a clear, centralised battle plan of its own, he added.