One of the great lessons that NATO member Norway has learned from training Ukraine Fighting Russia’s invasion means the country cannot afford to get bogged down in this kind of war, Russian officers say.
NATO is concerned about Russian aggression and the possibility of further aggression armed conflictand the alliance has been significant enlarging it defense investments while we try to learn from Ukraine.
The big lesson for the Norwegian armed forces is that they must prepare to prevent any conflict from turning into the kind of slog that is unfolding in Ukraine, military officials leading Operation Legio, the multinational, Norwegian-led training efforts for Ukrainian soldierstold Business Insider.
Major John, the S3 Operations Officer responsible for synchronizing the overall training operation, said: “I think the most important thing for Norway as a small nation is to avoid getting into the situation we are in now, with static, exhaustive warfare.”
“So we are looking for solutions to maintain maneuverability,” he told Business Insider at Camp Jomsborg, the purpose-built training site in NATO ally Poland where the training takes place. The goal, John explained, is so that “we can move and be dynamic.”
Deep defenses and drone cover have made it difficult for either side to join forces and surprise the other. ROMAN PILIPEY/AFP via Getty Images
Russia is unlikely to sustain another deeply exhausting battle.losing 35,000 people every monthJohn said, and that figure matches estimated losses in Ukraine. But Norway, as a much smaller country with five million inhabitants, “will not last very long as a nation if that were to happen to us.” So I think maybe the most important thing for us is to avoid getting into that situation.”
Brigadier General Atle Molde, the commander of Task Force Legio, told Business Insider that “the most important lesson we learned is: don’t get into a situation where Ukraine has to fight for its survival for years, causing thousands and thousands of casualties. Be prepared.”
This means that we must be prepared at the level of the entire society. Right now, he said, “we are not prepared. No Western country is prepared.”
Part of that essential preparation means having the right technology and tactics, which means learning only the appropriate lessons from the war in Ukraine and passing on those that are not or that Ukraine is using for a lack of better options.
It’s about being prepared from the society level down to preparing a single soldier to take down a drone with a shotgun, “and everything in between,” Molde said.
Norway is a NATO ally, meaning it enjoys the protection afforded by collective defense obligations, but it must focus on how it can maintain dynamic warfare, John said, using “air defense technologies that Ukraine is world-class in,” as well as counter-drone systems and electronic warfare measures to ensure its mechanized units can still move. “We are still a mechanized army.”
Ukraine has developed advanced battlefield technology and equipment that the allies are closely studying, but many of these capabilities only emerged after the war had already become embroiled in a bitter, static battle.
Both sides have built deep defenses, swarms of drones are constantly monitoring the battlefield, and it has become difficult to gather equipment and infantry for large-scale maneuvers. The area now surrounding the front line is regularly described as a ‘kill zone’.
NATO’s June Future Force Study said armed forces must prepare to maintain the ability to maneuver even under heavy observation. Many officials still warn that severe attrition may be inevitable and that armies must also be able to survive a protracted Ukrainian-style conflict.
Defense systems, including those that stop tanks, are located throughout Ukraine. Ivan SAMOILOV/AFP via Getty Images
Ukraine pulled off the unexpected and survived Russia’s attempt to capture the capital and push the war back to the east. With initially limited options for high-end equipment from allies, the country held out against the Russian invasion with its arsenal of older, Soviet-designed systems. Ukraine has since then received more Western support – including artillery, missiles, tanks and fighter jets – but it is also investing heavily in its own defense.
Ukraine The defense industry has grown enormouslybut the country still faces an uphill battle in which breakthroughs are difficult to achieve and gains on the battlefield are often measured in hundreds of yards.
NATO’s military expects to avoid many of the challenges that Ukraine has faced, and they have significant advantages in terms of combat power over Ukraine, such as larger air forces that could take control of the airspace and potentially enable more successful advances on land.
However, the alliance has recognized the need for masses of cheap weapons for both offensive and defensive actions. That’s been another key lesson from the warwhere both sides build millions of drones every year.
“We learn from the Ukrainians every day,” said Molde, who said the lessons are being passed on to the Norwegian military.
Norway is integrating Ukrainian frontline experiences into the development of our own defense, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said in April.
“Technology is evolving rapidly in Ukraine and Ukrainians are teaching us a lot about modern warfare,” he said.
