Eric Schmidt’s Secret Military Project Revealed: Attack Drones.

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, who has been quietly working on a military startup called White Stork. The startup is developing a mass-producible drone that uses artificial intelligence for visual targeting and can function in zero-comms environments created by GPS jamming. The article also covers Schmidt's involvement in the Ukrainian military ecosystem, including his meetings with Ukrainian government officials and his investment in a Ukrainian startup accelerator.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Eric Schmidt's Military Startup: White Stork

1. What is White Stork, the military startup that Eric Schmidt is working on?

• White Stork is a military startup that Eric Schmidt has been quietly building in the U.S. and Ukraine.
• The startup is developing a mass-producible drone that uses artificial intelligence for visual targeting and can function in zero-comms environments created by GPS jamming.
• White Stork was formally established in August 2022 and previously operated under the name Swift Beat Holdings.
• The startup is incorporated in Delaware and has a holding company called Volya Robotics OÜ in Estonia, with Schmidt listed as the sole beneficial owner.

2. What is the significance of the name "White Stork" for the startup?

• The name "White Stork" is a reference to the national bird and sacred totem of Ukraine, where Schmidt has assumed the role of defense tech advisor and financier.

3. How has Schmidt been involved in the Ukrainian military ecosystem?

• Schmidt has met with Ukraine's top leaders several times since Russia's invasion of the country in 2022.
• He attended a meeting in Kyiv last summer with the Ukrainian minister of strategic industries, the first deputy prime minister, and several of his former Google colleagues who are now advisors to White Stork.
• Schmidt has also seeded millions of dollars to a Ukrainian startup accelerator called D3, or Dare to Defend Democracy, which provides funding to defense tech companies in Ukraine.

[02] Schmidt's Advocacy for Drones in the Ukraine-Russia Conflict

1. What are Schmidt's views on the use of drones in the Ukraine-Russia conflict?

• Schmidt has been a vocal proponent of drones as a means of combating Kremlin forces in Ukraine.
• In op-eds, he has argued that "kamikaze drones" or "suicide drones" are an important weapon for Ukraine, as they can fly fast and are nearly impossible to shoot down.
• He has also highlighted the need for Ukraine to have the same electronic warfare capabilities as Russia to neutralize Russian drones, which have been able to jam and spoof the signals between Ukrainian drones and their pilots.

2. How does Schmidt's advocacy for drones relate to his work on the White Stork startup?

• The article notes that Schmidt did not disclose his own efforts to address the need for drones in Ukraine through the White Stork startup in his op-eds advocating for the use of drones.
• This suggests that White Stork may be developing drones or drone-related technologies to address the challenges faced by Ukraine in the conflict with Russia.