Lecturers won't teach you this. What could Western armies learn from fighting in Ukraine

The West needs experience on the battlefield

 

A direct clash with the enemy is worth thousands of command and staff exercises, closed and open defense forums, roundtables, security forums, etc.

 

Simply put, by fighting in Ukraine with limited contingents, Western countries can best study the enemy's

tactics and strategy and prepare to repel future aggression.

 

The obvious strengths of the Russian army should be understood: it is a monolith with unified weapons, military equipment, and ammunition. They have established an effective use of division-army formations.

 

The Ukrainian army, which is confronting this monolith, has a very diverse set of weapons, from the remnants of Soviet weapons to the latest ones received from different countries. In the case of repulsing Russian aggression, NATO will also face the need to integrate various weapons and equipment. The better this interaction is practiced, the less chances the enemy will have.

 

For example, ukrainian deputy sergeants have already learned to put different equipment into service and deal with other ammunition. A knowledgeable and experienced Ukrainian mortar sergeant can give a fascinating lecture on working with varying powders for mines from the same mortar.

 

An air defense officer - on how to repel combined attacks by drones and missiles of different classes.

 

A Special Forces officer - on operations in the deep operational rear of Russian troops and the destruction of

logistics in the "great railroad state". However, lectures will not ensure comprehensive preparation of the army

for the next war.

 

Perhaps the direct participation of Western military units in Russian-Ukrainian war will help create the technological advantage over the enemy that will allow us to stop the enemy in Ukraine, thus making it impossible for him to advance further in Europe.

 

Boost your own confidence

 

In addition to war's technical and tactical aspects, the moral and psychological component is no less critical. After the Second World War, the USSR and then Russia created the myth of an "invincible and legendary army" and, admittedly, not without success.

 

Suppose we recall the forecasts before the full-scale invasion, when the duration of Ukrainian resistance was estimated at two weeks. In that case, we can see that the capabilities of Putin's army are greatly overestimated in the West.

 

The pessimism is born when the enemy army is considered solid and invincible. This was the case with the Wehrmacht in World War II: before the Battle of Stalingrad, few believed that the army machine that had conquered Europe and reached the Volga River could be defeated, forced to retreat and seize the strategic initiative.

 

The Western armies needed a successful landing in Normandy to believe in their strength. Similarly, today, the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance need to learn from their own experience that the Russians have their vulnerabilities, that they can be beaten, that their kilometer-long armored columns can be stopped, that their "elite" airborne divisions can be dispersed, that their missiles and aircraft "have no analogs".

 

"We pay a terrible price for our experience. Instead, our partners just need to come and get it with little or no hassle. And it's not that French soldiers should be on the front line tomorrow. Mine clearance, air defense, logistics, operations planning, intelligence, development and use of various unmanned and robotic systems, software development, communications, and medicine - there are many areas where the Armed Forces have unique knowledge that can be transferred away from the front. I am sure, or rather I know, that the military is well aware of this. After all, it is in their interests.

 

Now the main thing is that they manage to convince their politicians and explain it to the citizens. Preferably as soon as possible. Because unfortunately, it seems that everything is heading towards a major war in Europe, and now is the last opportunity for Western countries to prepare for Russian aggression", says artilleryman Oleh.

 

Roman Dovhalevskyi, Texty.org.ua