War in Ukraine casts doubt on NATO’s readiness for a new war — TimesLIVE
The war of the Russian Federation — an aggressor state — against Ukraine is prompting a reassessment of NATO’s readiness for a possible future conflict. Five Ukrainian and Western defence officials told Reuters, whose report was published by TimesLIVE, that battlefield developments are moving so quickly that some of the Alliance’s weapons and tactics risk becoming outdated.
According to Reuters’ sources, Ukraine can adapt to new conditions within a few weeks, while NATO procures and develops systems over years and sometimes decades. The full-scale war has also demonstrated the impact of inexpensive drones on tactics: concentrations of troops and large columns of equipment are becoming easier targets.
Drones and tactics
Denys Shtilerman, co-owner and chief designer of Ukrainian missile and drone manufacturer Fire Point, told Reuters that tanks have become “useless” because a drone costing about $5,000 can destroy them. At the same time, according to the agency, many military analysts believe tanks will continue to play an important role in combat operations.
Commander of Ukraine’s National Guard Oleksandr Pivnenko, whose units trained with foreign militaries last year, pointed to an insufficient response by some such forces to the drone threat. In June, Reuters observed NATO exercises near Paldiski, Estonia, where American and European military personnel practised assisting mock wounded people in field hospitals. The scenario assumed NATO control of the airspace, which is no longer guaranteed under conditions of cheap, low-observable and long-range drones.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Air defence
Ukrainian officials also spoke about Ukraine’s growing role in transferring its experience of war with Russia to the Alliance, but noted that NATO’s military bureaucracy has difficulties absorbing it. A Ukrainian officer who underwent NATO psychological operations training in Romania told Reuters that some Alliance training materials still relied on examples from World War II. NATO did not respond to the agency’s questions regarding this criticism.
The war has also exposed vulnerability in air and missile defence. Constant Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities have demonstrated Europe’s dependence on U.S. Patriot systems, while Ukraine is experiencing a critical shortage of interceptor missiles for them.
Ukraine is awaiting the Franco-Italian SAMP/T-NG system, designed to intercept ballistic missiles, and France has promised to speed up its delivery. In July, Ukraine and nine European allies launched an air defence coalition to jointly develop the new Freyja anti-ballistic system. The consortium includes about a dozen companies, and Fire Point is the project’s leading private partner.
