Americans are still learning. They are drawing conclusions from the war in Ukraine
The development of electronic warfare and the role of drones in armed conflicts have led to the U.S changing its military modernization plans. Americans understand that defensive capabilities, attack power, and reaction time are important.
Oct 10, 2023 | updated: 7:45 AM EDT, October 10, 2023
"We have a moral obligation to learn from this terrible war" - said Gen. James Rainey from the U.S. Army during a conference of the U.S. Army Association in Washington. The words refer not only to the war in Ukraine that has been going on for months, but also to the conflict in the Middle East.
Quoted by Defense One, Rainey explains that "there is no indication that the modernization efforts in the military have not gone in the right direction." The electronic warfare (EW) systems identified in Ukraine are being developed at an "unprecedented rate and scale". For this reason, the USA needs to modernize its development plans in order to keep up with the development of other weapons around the world.
Attack and defense. Neither of these things can be overlooked in the development of weapons
Rainey explains that there is no single path to follow in the context of the development of electronic warfare systems. This means that the army cannot rely solely on defensive solutions, but also needs offensive tools.
The General implies that the ability to defend against EW systems is crucial, but the presence of tools in the army that will allow electronic attacks on enemy objects cannot be ignored simultaneously.
Defense One also points out that the American military is aware of the necessity of modernizing machines to ensure their as rapid as possible operation, and what follows – decreasing the reaction time in threat situations. As an example, they mentioned towed artillery, which often needs at least 10 minutes to prepare them for firing or folding into a transport-ready position. "We still need to modernize our fire systems, but we also need to look for robotic solutions for artillery," Rainey explained.
In the context of the development of the US army, Douglas R. Bush, assistant secretary of the army for acquisition, logistics and technology, also commented. In his opinion, "the war has affected the modernization plans of the service, but more as a strengthening rather than a restriction".
He noted that the USA is shifting funding towards the development of systems to combat unmanned aerial vehicles. The extent of the threat posed by drones on the front line was previously explained by Virtual Poland's journalist Przemysław Juraszek. The United States' decision, therefore, stems from an understanding of what the current battlefields look like and what equipment is key to gaining an advantage.
