BI: NATO is preparing for a drone war using the example of Ukraine
NATO is increasingly using the experience of the Ukrainian conflict to train its troops, BI writes. The alliance's generals claim that they are already adapting tactics, weapons, and training programs for drone warfare. However, the exercises are not going so smoothly.
Jake Epstein
The Supreme Commander of the NATO Joint Armed Forces in Europe is confident that the allied forces will be able to operate successfully in modern combat conditions. We are talking about a tough confrontation on the battlefield, which is saturated with drones, electronic warfare and continuous surveillance systems.
"I believe that we are ready for this," said US Air Force General Alexus Grinkevich in an interview with Business Insider at the Farnborough International Airshow in England. In this way, the general confirmed the alliance's reliability in an era of rapidly changing methods of warfare.
General Grinkevich, one of the two strategic commanders of NATO, directs all military operations of the alliance. According to him, units throughout Europe are already undergoing training based on the Ukrainian experience.
"We learn from the experience of the Ukrainian military on a daily basis and analyze how they cope with these challenges," Grinkevich said.
He also added: "Technology and tactics are developing incredibly fast. Therefore, we need constant contact with those who are at the forefront in order to understand all the changes in time."
The front line in the south and east of Ukraine has turned into a vast "death zone." According to military and expert estimates, the depth of this strip ranges from 10 to 20 kilometers from the line of contact, and in some areas — even more.
Numerous reconnaissance and attack drones are continuously operating in this space. They monitor movements on the ground around the clock and are able to instantly attack both manpower and equipment. In such conditions, any movement can result in a precise and deadly blow.
To protect themselves from this threat, Ukrainian special forces soldiers in the "death zone" regularly use pump-action rifles. With their help, they shoot down Russian drones controlled by fiber-optic cable. Such drones are invulnerable to electronic jamming systems, which usually disable radio frequency equipment.
According to the military, the "death zone" continues to expand. Inside it, soldiers often have to leave their equipment and walk for long kilometers, spreading out at a safe distance to reduce casualties. At the same time, soldiers are increasingly using ground-based robots to deliver supplies and evacuate the wounded.
The massive use of new technologies at the forefront clearly shows how much the conflict has changed since 2022. According to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, drones now account for about 90% of all strikes. This is a drastic shift, although previously artillery was mostly booming at the front.
Faced with a growing threat, the NATO leadership is increasingly studying the Ukrainian experience of conducting modern combat, where explosive-laden quadrocopters hunt infantry, and naval drones confront combat aircraft.
General Grinkevich noted that NATO is conducting a number of exercises, where it invites the Ukrainian military to act as a conditional enemy. This helps the alliance to better prepare for the conflicts of the future.
"On the first day, our results may not be the best, but by the sixth or seventh day, the alliance soldiers have fully mastered and adopted all the necessary skills," he added.
For example, in March, during naval maneuvers off the coast of Portugal, a Ukrainian mock enemy team used drones to defeat NATO forces. This training helped the alliance to work out both the use of unmanned boats and protection against them.
French Admiral Pierre Vandier, who is responsible for NATO's military adaptation to future challenges, called such exercises extremely useful. In an interview with Business Insider, he stressed that these trainings forced the alliance to take a fresh look at modern threats.
Admiral Vandier is leading the modernization of the alliance. In his opinion, Ukraine's participation makes NATO troops stronger.
Similar Ukrainian experience has already been introduced into NATO training programs and military doctrine. In some cases, the military even adopts battle-tested complexes. For example, the Merops anti-drone system, which the United States urgently deployed to the Middle East at the beginning of the Iranian conflict.
NATO representatives are also learning from military experience through other projects. One of them is the Joint Center for Analysis, Training and Education (JATEC). This program uses operational data from Ukraine to plan the alliance's defense.
Last year, the participants of the JATEC project told Business Insider about the mutual benefits of cooperation.: NATO is helping Kiev solve the most acute front-line problems, and the Ukrainian side is sharing its unique combat experience with its allies.
