Mick Ryan
Ukraine has transformed its military training regime in the
midst of war. There is much to learn from its experiences.
Ukrainian soldiers training as part of Operation KUDU, Australia’s participation in the UK-led Operation INTERFLEX. (Defence Imagery)
The study of how Ukrainian forces have adapted, learned, and transformed their training regimes is a vital but under-examined element of this war, and war more generally. Ukraine’s military training system is foundational to its military capability. Studying it offers not only a window into Ukraine’s overall military capacity but also valuable lessons for Western nations that may need to expand their forces in the coming years.
The frame of reference for Western instructors is often Iraq and Afghanistan, which does not provide the foundational behaviours required for combat in eastern Ukraine.
Challenges
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has faced multiple challenges to its training approach.
First, it has had to manage time constraints. The Russian military, vastly larger than Ukraine’s, drove the need for rapid expansion of the pre-war force. Limited time meant many important trade-offs had to be made in the quality of training. For a long period, basic recruit training was restricted to about one month, which often did not produce the resilient and capable soldiers required on the front line without additional training in their units.
Second, Ukraine has had to balance the key cultures that drive its military affairs: legacy Soviet systems and practices (especially intolerance of reporting failure, and centralised command methods); newer NATO methods and doctrines; and Ukraine’s own culture, both military and national. These often exist in tension and influence every element of Ukrainian military affairs, including its training systems.
Third, it has had to endure, to the present day, Russian attacks on its training institutions. These attacks are designed to kill soldiers in training and the experts that train them. The attacks are designed to have a psychological impact too, particularly in dissuading Ukrainians from joining their military.
Finally, the ability to learn and adapt at the speed of need has been a major challenge. In all my interactions with Ukrainian training staff, I have posed the question: how do you learn and adapt the training system? Their responses have consistently improved over time. However, learning and adaptation is a challenge for any training system, not just one that is at war.
Ukrainian Responses
In response, Ukraine has evolved its approach to training. This has involved a multitude of large and small initiatives over the past three years, all with the goal of ensuring that soldiers are provided with the training that allows them to be as resilient and combat capable as possible when they present to their combat units. Five important institutional responses stand out:
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