An online report noted Ukraine’s difficulties in penetrating Russian defensive lines, stressing the continued importance of training and coordination in a world of technologically advanced warfare.
According to the US government’s own Congressional Research Service, US armed forces have been active throughout the world in one form or another for the vast majority of the country’s young existence. Now, a new report documents the lessons the country is learning for its next war as Russian troops battle on in the Donbass.
The article, published in an online journal of defense news, describes the challenges faced by troops in an era of pervasive technology.
The report stresses that “concealment” is a major concern, documenting the use of drone units in the Ukraine operation along with surveillance by satellites and other means. “The enemy can strike anywhere, anytime,” said Gardner. Something as simple as a WiFi or Bluetooth signal can invite enemy fire.
The report notes that modern surveillance capabilities, combined with the use of rockets and artillery, have led to increased casualties both in the Army’s simulated war operations and for Ukrainian troops.
The Army is also training in psychological or “hybrid warfare,” learning from Russia and Ukraine’s use of social media throughout the special military operation. Reports in news outlet The Grayzone have documented the participation of US politicians and intelligence operatives in the so-called NAFO online troll operation against Russia.
In 2013 the US Congress passed legislation lifting a ban on spreading government-backed propaganda among domestic audiences, potentially allowing the US to wage psychological operations publicly and covertly in the age of Facebook and TikTok. Recent reporting documented the US military’s efforts to shape discussion on Twitter.
Brigadier General Curtis Taylor of the Army’s National Training Center in California noted Ukraine’s objectives on the battlefield are “very, very hard.”
The United States has spent more than $75 billion on funding for Ukraine’s military efforts. The country’s involvement so far remains mostly indirect; whether it will remain so will depend on America’s response to an increasingly multipolar world. SPUTNIK
