NATO's war readiness questioned in West due to outdated tactics - Reuters
Photo: NATO serviceman (Getty Images)
Defense officials have noted that NATO needs to modernize certain weapons and warfighting tactics. Ukraine serves as an example of rapid adaptation in military operations, according to Reuters.
Is the Alliance ready for war?
Five Ukrainian and Western defense officials told Reuters that events on the battlefield are unfolding so quickly that some NATO weapons and tactics risk becoming obsolete.
Ukraine, which is not a member of the Alliance, adapts within weeks. Meanwhile, NATO purchases and develops systems over years, and sometimes decades, the publication writes.
Denys Shtilerman, co-owner and chief designer of Fire Point, told Reuters that tanks are currently worthless. After all, a drone costing about $5,000 can destroy them. Yet Europe continues to spend significant funds on armored vehicles.
Drones have changed warfare
Cheap drones have also changed warfare in other aspects. Large transport convoys or troop concentrations have become much easier targets.
"They are good at storming positions. But if there’s a drone overhead and you don’t even look up, what do you think will happen to your squad?" said Oleksandr Pivnenko, Commander of the National Guard of Ukraine, regarding international forces.
Ukraine teaches NATO
Ukrainian officials highlighted Ukraine's growing role in teaching the Alliance lessons learned from the war against Russia.
However, they also noted that NATO's military bureaucracy struggles to absorb them.
A Ukrainian officer who underwent NATO psychological training in Romania told Reuters that some of the Alliance's training materials still rely on World War II experience.
In its statement, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said that its soldiers and NATO troops have much to learn from each other. They described Ukraine's use of drones and electronic warfare as unprecedented in the world.
What about air defense?
The war in Ukraine has also revealed vulnerabilities in NATO's air and missile defense, the publication writes. Europe is dependent on modern American Patriot missile defense systems. Ukraine faces a critical shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles.
In July, Ukraine and nine European allies launched an air defense coalition, which includes plans for the joint development of a new missile defense system. Known as Freyja, the project is a consortium of approximately a dozen companies, with Fire Point as the lead private sector partner.
"If you spend $20 billion on your air defense system, you must be independent in your security," Shtilerman said.
Previously, RBC-Ukraine wrote that Czechia supported Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's idea of a joint European air defense system. This will strengthen Europe's contribution to NATO.
Furthermore, Zelenskyy announced Ukrainian ballistic missiles and a missile defense system for 2026–2027.
In Lithuania, it was discovered that the drone destroyed by a missile on the night of September 15 was a Russian Gerbera.
