On October 11, The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. Army's AI modernization combat trials, conducted in the desert, exposed significant flaws in its equipment and systems. Amidst the blistering heat, servers succumbed to overheating, and batteries drained rapidly. Drones from Anduril Industries were forced to land due to soaring temperatures, while Teal Drones took a staggering 10 minutes to take off post-charging—a stark contrast to the sub-one-minute takeoff efficiency demonstrated by Ukrainian soldiers. Throughout the trials, the drones' inability to operate autonomously or leverage AI-assisted capabilities severely curtailed their actual flight time. Furthermore, the augmented reality helmets also revealed defects, leaving the Army undecided on whether to proceed with their adoption. Alex Miller, the Chief Technology Officer to the U.S. Army Chief of Staff, clarified that the trials were also aimed at scrutinizing the veracity of the product claims made by several defense technology firms.