Kyiv’s former top commander says NATO is too outdated for Ukraine | Politico
On August 4th, Victor Jack published an article in Politico titled, “Kyiv’s former top commander says NATO is too outdated for Ukraine.” The article highlights how Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK and former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said that Ukraine will never join NATO.
Zaluzhnyi argues that NATO relies on outdated doctrines designed for World War II that are incompatible with the modern conflict that Ukraine now faces. Jack highlights Ukraine’s outpacing of NATO by pointing out how Ukraine has surpassed Western militaries in the production of drones and missiles, and how Ukrainian troops have repeatedly surprised NATO forces at military exercises with their tactics and drone use.
Why does this matter?
While there is a discussion to be had about the potential development of a European military security bloc—an idea floated by Zaluzhnyi—that could rival or replace NATO and impact US influence in Europe, the more important discussion revolves around what lessons NATO can learn from Ukraine to modernize its doctrines.
Takeaway
It might be tempting to think that NATO allies just need to replicate Ukraine’s technology in order to catch up, but this notion is missing an important institutional element that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have mastered—agility.
Susan Siegrist Thomas recently published an article in SWJ that analyzes the factors behind Ukraine’s ability to rapidly innovate and adapt on the battlefield. Importantly, she notes that Ukraine’s use of advanced weapons and emerging technologies isn’t what’s responsible for its battlefield success. Rather, it’s Ukraine’s ability to rapidly innovate and field solutions on the battlefield.
“Success has depended on continuously updating software, changing theater tactics, and implementing solutions faster than the adversary.”
The decentralized and agile structure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, combined with an entrepreneurial culture that encourages innovation, enables them to rapidly field and develop new technologies. The main lesson for NATO allies is that success in modern warfare isn’t necessarily dependent on the individual technologies they field. Instead, it depends on their ability to rapidly adapt and innovate faster than the enemy.
Further reading
Make sure to check out Susan Siegrist Thomas’ article for an analysis of the factors behind Ukraine’s ability to innovate.
