The United States and other NATO allies are gaining experience from the Russian-Ukrainian war, which allows NATO member states not only to update their own weapons, but also to learn lessons from current warfare.< /p>
This was discussed by experts and military personnel on March 5th during a discussion forum called Without Justice, Can There Be Real Victory or Lasting Peace.
War lessons from Ukraine
Senior Advisor to the Atlantic Council Debra Kagan points out that Western arms supplies to Ukraine will only allow NATO member countries to strengthen their own armies.
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— Stop complaining about giving Ukraine its own supplies. You will replace these reserves with the latest systems that are more modern, efficient, better and more capable of countering Russia and China. Because you learned your lessons from Ukraine, — she says.
According to her, weapons that were previously tested exclusively at military training grounds are now not performing as well as expected.
Also, says Kagan, the lessons of the Russian-Ukrainian war will make “our troops the most modern and effective on the planet — because of what we learned from Ukraine”.
She gave the example that, based on these lessons, the United States has already reconsidered approaches to troop reform, changed its perspective on various weapons systems, and also figured out how to counter various obstacles.
— I think we need to stop assuming that we have all the answers to how Ukraine should fight this war. We tend to train others based on the last war we fought. And so I would say that a lot of what we have provided to Ukraine does not necessarily correspond to what is actually happening in Ukraine today, — says Debra Kagan.
The expert admits that the results that Ukrainian troops receive from the experience of Western countries are not remarkable, and therefore the West needs to move away from the guidelines and draw their own conclusions from this war.
Victory concept
In turn, ex-commander of NATO forces in Europe, General Wesley Clarksays that it is important for both official Kyiv and Washington to adhere to military doctrines and save people’s lives.
— For us, exercise is extremely important because small unit decision making makes a big difference in combat. And we have a fundamental faith in our soldiers. For Russia, its soldiers — like the bullets that they throw into battle without sparing. We don't do this. We value our warriors, — he explains.
According to him, in addition to the importance of providing Ukraine with the necessary weapons, the development of a “victory concept” deserves no less attention.
Ukraine's advantage in the air
General Philip Breedlove, who was previously the commander of the US Air Force, said that Ukraine's air superiority is “task number one” to establish maneuver warfare.
— We didn't do that for Ukraine. We didn't give Ukraine what it needed to establish air superiority on the battlefield. We haven't even come close to this. And so when we start to be critical of the way Ukraine is waging war, we need to look at whether we ourselves have done enough to prepare them to do what we expect them to do, to fight the war the way we would do it. West, — he thinks.
Nuclear weapons
Breedlove, who was also NATO's former supreme commander in Europe, says the United States and its alliance allies made a mistake when they voiced their fears about Russia.
— We told them what we were afraid of. We said that we would do everything possible to avoid escalation and to avoid nuclear war. It was a mistake. I'm not saying we don't want this to happen. But I think it was a mistake to rush to tell Russia what we are afraid of. Now we see that they regularly “return” and we are reminded of nuclear weapons, — he says.
In turn, Wesley Clark warned Washington that Russia today has a strategic nuclear advantage.
— We have been working on our nuclear deterrent for too long. And we are faced with the fact that we are in a new era. When we stopped working on the neutron bomb, they continued, which is why they have fourth generation nuclear weapons. They have hypersonic missiles protected by a plasma shield that do not show up on radar. They have orbital bombs that you won't see on radar. They might come at us from Mexico, — he says.
He added that today a group of nations is being formed against Western countries that are “ready to use force”.
— Xi Jinping wants to have a world-class force by 2027. Iran is about to become a nuclear power. They may already have nuclear weapons. Everything has changed in the Middle East. This is indeed a very difficult period for us. And we can’t just say that everything is “as always”, — he summarized.
Previously, the commander of the US Strategic Command, General Anthony Cotton, said that by 2035 the total number of nuclear weapons of China and the Russian Federation could exceed the nuclear capabilities of the United States.
