5 Warfare Lessons from War in Ukraine – Air Marshal's Perspective

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War is an incredible teacher but a brutal instructor.

– Jocko Willink, The Dichotomy of Leadership

Russia – Ukraine war has entered the fourth month, with no end in sight. This war has affected every aspect of warfare and international engagement. The war has brought into focus the issues related to the new emerging world order, multilateralism, collective security, nuclear deterrence, economic sanctions, information warfare, and food & energy security.

Russia has not used the full potential of its military power against Ukraine. While the world is eagerly waiting for the end of this conflict, a lot of lessons are emerging from the prevailing situation.

Clearly Defined Objectives. A clear and practical definition of objectives is very important. A clarity in political objectives helps in the formulation of achievable military objectives and orchestration of the war. An effective military strategy would flow out of these aims and objectives. Lack of clarity may result in high costs of operation or complete military failure in the worst-case scenario.

Importance of Human Factors. The intangible factors like morale, training, and tactics are very important for military success. Numerical strength and high technology equipment, platforms, and weapons alone cannot win wars. Military personnel need to be well-motivated and trained in the ways of modern warfare. The strategy and tactics employed for the application of force need to be robust, aggressive, and tailored to the prevailing situation.

Information Warfare. Information warfare has become a separate domain of warfare. An appropriate narrative is essential for public opinion both worldwide and at home. An acceptable narrative also provides much-needed legitimacy for own actions. It has a direct bearing on the morale of own and enemy forces.

Importance of Joint Warfare. Coordinated application of surface and air force is very important. The operations need to be planned and executed jointly. Joint training and joint exercises during peacetime are required, to increase interoperability between land and air forces. Joint organisational structures are required to increase the synergy. Joint theatre commands are one way of achieving it, but not the only way. The structural reorganisation should be done keeping in mind the factors like existing threats, availability of resources, economic strength, and the prevailing geopolitical situation. The restructuring should be able to deal with changing ways and new domains of warfare in future.

Importance of ISR and Information Sharing. In modern warfare, a high degree of situational awareness is of utmost importance. Multi-domain surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities are required. Ai enabled hybrid systems are essential for processing the plethora of gathered data. A network environment is also required for speedy dissemination of raw and processed data on a need to know basis.

Bottom Line

It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.

Question

Is Russia preserving its modern generation war equipment for a bigger enemy?

Link to : 7 Security Lessons from War in Ukraine

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