Analysts believe that Kiev itself decides how and when to liberate its territories.
Ukraine’s decisions on conducting military operations are often criticized. However, Western countries, including the United States, can learn a lot from it.
Philip Payson O'Brian, a professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrew in Scotland, wrote about this in The Atlantic.
As the professor notes, Ukraine was called upon to concentrate more forces in the south and try to break through Russian lines, even despite the threat of exposing its soldiers to Russian air strikes. But Ukrainian troops, due to the scale of the mined territories, act more carefully, which allows them to preserve personnel in a war with a country that has many more people. Moreover, the fighting may continue for a long time.
The Ukrainian military-political leadership has relied on attacks on Russian logistics and enemy headquarters points deep along the front line. Our military has focused on destroying artillery closer to the line of contact.
“Ukrainian commanders believe they understand the fundamental dynamics of the conflict much more clearly than those who have never experienced such conditions. Indeed, the longer it goes on this war, the more clear it becomes that Ukrainians have a lot to teach others, including the United States, “about how to conduct military operations in the modern era,” notes O'Brian.
Plan ” Replicator”
US Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Gix described how the United States could defend itself in a war with China. In many ways, this approach echoes the experience of Ukraine, which has been repeatedly noted. The point is that victory over the People's Liberation Army of the People's Republic of China can be achieved on the basis of ingenuity and innovation.
The Replicator Initiative is a Pentagon plan to create an army of small, inexpensive, artificially intelligent vehicles capable of operating in a wide range of combat conditions. They will protect American fighters and enhance their capabilities. If the US deploys them in large numbers, the machines will not be stopped. The tanks, missiles, ships and other heavy military equipment of the People's Liberation Army of the People's Republic of China will not be able to fight them off.
The main advantage would be that fewer American soldiers would be exposed to danger against the much larger Chinese army.
“The replicator should help us overcome the greatest advantage of the PRC – mass. More ships. More missiles. More people. Before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, it seemed to have the same advantage,” she said.
O'Bryan emphasizes that Ukraine's rather creative use of military technology apparently had a significant impact on Pentagon thinking. Taking advantage of a freer, more open society, the Ukrainian military began to develop a large number of its own military systems, including simple and cheap drones that can perform many tasks.
The war in Ukraine also confirmed that that the Pentagon already knew: without dominance in the skies, advancing heavy armor would be extremely difficult. Russia's slow advance in Bakhmut earlier this year and the current Ukrainian counteroffensive have proven this. Ukraine is trying to compensate for this by using a large number of drones. But progress is difficult.
Active discussion of the initiative may indicate US doubts about whether it can maintain dominance in the skies for a long period of time. That is why American military planners are reflecting on the Ukrainian experience, trying to extrapolate it to a potential war against China.
It was previously noted that the United States was preparing for a potential war with China in the Pacific, so it signed a contract to develop a prototype Blended Wing aircraft Body, in which functions are optimized.
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