BI: Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers are more practical than NATO soldiers
The soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine often show tactical ingenuity, says a British officer in a comment for Business Insider. Major Maguire also notes that the Ukrainian military is better adapted to combat operations than the military personnel of NATO countries.
"The Ukrainian military has shown greater tactical ingenuity" than Western instructors, says a British Army officer, pointing to their ambush tactics.
Sinead Baker
Ukrainian soldiers often showed much more tactical ingenuity than their Western instructors, said a former instructor from the British armed forces, noting the tactics of Ukrainians in organizing ambushes.
The UK is leading a training program for Ukrainian soldiers with the participation of representatives from different countries, in which the Ukrainian military gets acquainted with the best practices of the armies of Western countries. At the same time, Ukraine shares its combat experience, acquired at the cost of great sacrifices. Kiev's troops impressed the instructors and even taught them something new.
The Ukrainians "have a lot more tactical ingenuity than we do," Major Maguire, a British Army officer who helped lead the training, told Business Insider. He agreed to give an interview on the condition that only his rank and surname would be indicated.
This does not mean that the British military has no imagination. By necessity, Ukrainian soldiers are willing to take greater risks and think outside the box, while the British military mostly "think according to textbooks," focusing more on the rules, he noted.
Maguire saw this firsthand during the planning of the ambush. He said that he was "fixated on the doctrinal approach to ambushes," which involves the presence of a strike group and detachments designed to block the escape routes or the approach of reinforcements.
The Ukrainian soldiers he worked with "scattered and planned the operation for six hours." Then they "presented the most tactically brilliant plan I could imagine." They were using the area in ways he hadn't even imagined. According to the officer, they were "much more flexible and did not adhere to the doctrines so strictly."
Maguire noted that the Ukrainian officer corps is "less susceptible to indoctrination than ours." He described the officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as civilians who took up arms, "and they are not so much limited by military norms."
Ukrainian soldiers act differently
He said that the Ukrainian soldiers are not so attached to the established doctrine. On the contrary, "they are much more willing to take tactical risks, and as a result, they are more resourceful. Not all of them, but the best of them are definitely capable of it and act accordingly."
Ukrainians, Maguire shared, "felt much more comfortable taking on risks that we, the British, would not take for fear of control measures. I think it's dictated by necessity. They just get it. They have their own purpose."
The UK is, to some extent, limited by the fact that it is still in training mode.
However, the situation is changing. Maguire said that before the start of a full-scale Russian military operation in 2022, the British military's mentality was more focused on "tactical security."
"The Ukrainian mentality is completely different," he said.
Now the British army's mindset is changing. However, the key question is whether this is happening fast enough. Maguire isn't so sure about that. But one of the main changes that he observes is that soldiers start their service with a clearer understanding that they may die doing their duty.
The lessons of Ukraine
Maguire led a subgroup that trained Ukrainian soldiers who already had combat experience. The training was conducted as part of the Interflex operation, led by the UK with the support of 13 partner countries, including Canada, Australia and Denmark.
Ukrainian recruits who have not yet participated in combat operations are also trained under this program; in total, more than 62,000 Ukrainians have been trained under the program.
These soldiers have experience that the Western military that trains them does not have. Britain and its allies have not been involved in large-scale military conflicts for several decades and are studying the experience of Ukraine in order to adapt.
Maguire said that the training of military personnel who already had experience scared Western instructors, but still there was an exchange of knowledge that proved valuable for both sides.
The UK has learned many lessons both from observing the fighting and from supporting Ukraine, especially in areas such as drone warfare. British units are actively implementing tactics for conducting combat operations using small UAVs, which they have learned from observing the course of the conflict. This exchange was instructive in other ways as well.
Maguire noted that the instructors were initially surprised by the slowness of the Ukrainians' actions in battle. What was initially perceived as some lethargy was recognized as tactically sound on a battlefield littered with traps.
He said Ukrainians have "a deeper understanding of what it takes to win — unwavering determination."
