Europe | Learning under fire

What is the war in Ukraine teaching Western armies?

It shows the importance of dispersal, firepower and stockpiles

TOPSHOT - Ukrainian soldiers of an artillery unit fire towards Russian positions outside Bakhmut on November 8, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by BULENT KILIC / AFP) (Photo by BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images)

“IN BATTLE NOTHING is ever as good or as bad as the first reports of excited men would have it,” remarked William Slim, a celebrated British field marshal in the second world war. From the moment that Russian troops crossed into Ukraine on February 24th this year, pundits offered sweeping pronouncements about the future of war. The death of the tank was declared on the basis of snatched video footage. Turkish drones were hailed as unstoppable game-changers. Western anti-tank weapons were thrust into an early starring role. Now, nine months into the war, more considered reflections are emerging. There is much that Western armed forces can learn.

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