Drones, loitering munitions, highly mobile artillery units… The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has emerged as a pivotal case study in modern warfare, yielding critical lessons for both military strategists and defense industry experts alike. These lessons highlight essential characteristics that are imperative for modern military equipment in active service.
One can argue that the war in Ukraine has redefined what we might call a “modern” war. For the first time, modern technologies like drones are playing a pivotal role on the battlefield, consequently transforming our understanding and approach to tactical deployment, logistics and, in turn, procurement.
“The character of war is changing,” Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George told Defense News in an interview ahead of the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual conference. “It’s changed more in the last couple of years because of the war in Ukraine. And I think it will continue to change at a very rapid pace and we have to have the mindset to change with it.” Battlefields are now covered with sensors, lasers and drones surveilling targets, guiding artillery, dropping grenades and acting as guided suicide bombs themselves.
These new battlefield dynamics necessitate military hardware with certain specific attributes conducive to tactical and strategic success. These include mobility, simplicity, and volume.“Everything we’re seeing in Ukraine [is] about the relevance of precision fires, all the emerging technology, but the big killer on the battlefield is conventional artillery, high-explosive artillery,” explains Gen. James Rainey, who leads the U.S. Army Futures Command. The successes of US-provided HIMARS rockets for the Ukrainian Armed Forces underscores this point.
But for Ukraine to stand any chance of winning this war, these concepts should be applied to all areas tactical military hardware procurement: howitzers, tanks, armed personnel carriers… and in vast numbers.
Striking the right balance between quality and quantity
As the war in Ukraine has proven, the demand for military equipment and ammunition is staggering, necessitating both mass production and rapid deployment capabilities. The sheer scale of modern conflicts underscores the critical need for a robust industrial capacity capable of producing vast quantities of equipment swiftly and efficiently. This ensures that armed forces are adequately equipped to sustain prolonged engagements and respond dynamically to evolving battlefield conditions. This emphasis on volume underscores a strategic imperative: the ability to rapidly replenish supplies and maintain operational tempo without logistical bottlenecks.
This expansion necessitates a fundamental reflection on the level of sophistication of the equipment (and the associated unit costs), as many Western manufacturers often adopt a high-tech approach that rarely aligns with the budgets available for achieving both optimal quantity and quality. Additionally, lessons learned from the Ukrainian conflict (RETEX) have raised user concerns about overly sophisticated solutions, which tend to be fragile during prolonged use in severely degraded operational environments (cold, humidity, etc.).
More than anything, the war has become a war of artillery, echoes of the Somme and Verdun echoing through the ages to the “meat grinders” of the Donbas and Zaporizhzhia. As the war has raged into its third year, Ukraine and its allies have become acutely aware of Russia’s material advantage, notably with regards to shells, guns and UAVs. This advantage, in practice, forces Ukraine to be more astute in its allocation of resources and deployment of artillery batteries, favoring towed, mobile unites capable of precision strikes and a quick retreat. In, out… redeploy.
Of course, tactical needs drive decision-making in the upper echelons of military commands. “Where do you need towed artillery versus perhaps trackedversus perhaps wheeled? What can you do with munitions to get range versus building new cannons?” asks U.S. Army acquisition chief Doug Bush. “The broad lesson is that you still need artillery. It is the No. 1 killer on the battlefield, still in this conflict [in Ukraine].”
Artillery epitomizes a high stakes supply and demand equation where the currency is not monetary but the lives of soldiers. The imperative to provide artillery support precisely when needed, with the right mix of ammunition, cannot be overstated. Failing to meet this demand compromises the effectiveness of maneuvering forces, potentially jeopardizing entire missions. Timely and appropriate artillery support is crucial; it ensures that ground forces can advance, hold positions, and neutralize threats effectively. The logistics behind artillery supply are thus not merely operational concerns but vital elements that can decisively influence the outcome of engagements and the safety of personnel, and the global evolution of warfare. The Ukrainians are, sadly, in it for the long term, and the constant 3D threat of high intensity clashes can be exhausting for men and equipment alike. Operational endurance, then, is essential.
Simplicity and robustness
These stark realities have also highlighted the indispensable value of simplicity and robustness in military equipment. This principle arises from the above-mentioned imperative of mass production, which demands cost-effective, easy-to-operate vehicles that can be swiftly assimilated into service, even with minimally trained personnel. A robust operational infrastructure will help ensure preparedness for the unpredictability of war. Simple, highly mobile weapons, manned by optimized crews, are therefore optimal.
Unlike complex systems prone to frequent breakdowns and requiring specialized maintenance, modern military hardware thrives on simplicity. Vehicles designed with civilian-model familiarity or suited for maintenance in typical mechanical facilities offer distinct advantages. Moreover, avoiding excessive automation mitigates vulnerability, ensuring that systems remain operational even in austere conditions. Furthermore, maintaining an optimal crew size of 4 to 6 individuals enhances resilience and operational endurance, countering the temptation to reduce manpower in favor of front-line deployment efficiency.
Mobility equals lightness
“Gone are the days where you’re setting up a whole [tactical operations center]. And two hours is too much time. We need to be able to move in minutes. We need to be able to command and control on the move,” explains Randy George. This reflects one of the predominant battlefield phenomena observed in Ukraine: the fact that all units are under constant surveillance from the skies, making them perpetually vulnerable to targeted missile, UAV or artillery attack.
In Ukraine, mobility has proven paramount in safeguarding personnel and equipment from these threats. The effectiveness of military assets hinges not solely on firepower but also on their ability to maneuver swiftly and avoid detection. Traditional concepts like towed artillery have therefore waned in relevance, overtaken by the imperative for agile, deployable systems capable of navigating varied terrains and evading hazards such as mines and mud. The fallibility of heavy, tracked vehicles like the MBT Challenger when immobilized highlights the criticality of mobility over sheer size. Indeed, the adaptability of lighter, more maneuverable platforms underscores their pivotal role in modern conflict scenarios, where agility can often spell the difference between success and vulnerability.
Furthermore, while tactical mobility is essential for avoiding threats in contact zones, the evolving military situation in Ukraine has demonstrated that operational mobility is equally crucial for quickly repositioning and re-engaging reserves, sometimes several hundred kilometers from their initial deployment area. In this context, a minimal logistical footprint is vital, encompassing fuel consumption and the need for transport vehicles. It also includes the capability to utilize degraded routes and crossing points, many of which cannot accommodate vehicles weighing 50 tons or more.
