The Russian war against Ukraine demonstrates that tactical effectiveness, even when sustained, does not automatically translate into operational or strategic advantage, highlighting the critical need for operational-level maneuver. Contemporary battlefields, characterized by advanced defensive systems like mines, sensors, electronic warfare, integrated air defenses, precision fires, AI, and UAVs, favor attrition and negate traditional offensive advantages.
This necessitates restoring operational maneuver—the ability to connect tactical actions across time and space to produce decisive operational outcomes—to correct the offense-defense imbalance and regain freedom of action. Current military training environments, offering limited operational depth, inadequately prepare officers for modern conflicts demanding far greater reach, such as the 200-kilometer Russian defensive depth near Pokrovsk in Ukraine. Historical examples, like the 1940 German campaign, illustrate how sustained momentum and deep penetration disrupt adversary systems. Maneuver is not obsolete but requires new methods to sustain protection and combat power against ubiquitous surveillance.
No comments:
Post a Comment