Ukraine's "creativity", including its large-scale special operation "Spiderweb" deep inside Russia, contains deep lessons for Western militaries. This was stated by the Supreme Commander of the NATO Joint Armed Forces for Transformation, Admiral Pierre Vandier, in an interview with AFP, reports UNN.
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"What the Ukrainians did in Russia was a Trojan horse, and that Trojan horse was thousands of years ago. Today, we see such tactics being rethought thanks to technical and industrial creativity," Vandier said.
Vandier noted that Operation Pautina showed how important innovation and adaptation are to victory, as modern warfare is changing rapidly.
"It was a real coup. We are entering a dynamic era where armies must rely on both large-scale planning and adaptive planning. We will witness continuous innovation, where week after week, month after month, or year after year, we will be able to invent things we did not anticipate," Vandier said.
AFP notes that in the face of the Russian threat, NATO last week approved new targets for its defense capabilities to ensure the ability to repel attacks from Moscow.
But, as noted, Western intelligence services warn that the Kremlin is rebuilding its forces at a pace that far outstrips NATO's, and may be ready to attack the alliance in as little as four years.
"Time is a really crucial parameter. We must act quickly," Vandier said.
The admiral, who previously commanded France's flagship aircraft carrier "Charles de Gaulle," said that NATO needs to gather forces to dissuade any opponent from attempting an attack.
"When you say: "I am defending myself," you have weapons for defense. When you say you are deterring, you have weapons for deterrence. That is what should prevent war - to make the opponent think: "I will not win tomorrow morning," Vandier believes.
It is expected that NATO countries, under pressure from US President Donald Trump, will agree to a significant increase in their defense spending at the summit in The Hague this month.
This should lead to a sharp increase in spending on military equipment.
The admiral, who works at the NATO base in Norfolk, Virginia, USA, said that the main challenge is "integrating new technologies and new methods of combat based on what we have observed in Ukraine."
NATO and Ukraine have created a center in Poland designed to help the Alliance learn lessons from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the publication writes.
First joint NATO-Ukraine training center opens in Poland18.02.25, 06:44 • [views_74316]
Artificial intelligence and robotics are also having an increasing impact and should help change the situation on the battlefield.
"All modern armies will have manned and unmanned capabilities. It is much more effective to deliver ammunition by a ground robot than by a squad of soldiers who can withstand a 155-millimeter (six-inch) shell," Vandier noted.
This transformation of military capabilities within the Alliance, which NATO seeks to expand by at least 30% over the next few years, will lead to significant costs, estimated at hundreds of billions of euros (dollars).
Vandier insisted that while the financial effort was "substantial," it was "entirely realistic."
"Today we have all the tools. We have engineering. We have experience. We have technology. So we need to start," he said.