JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine’s army chief: The design of war has changed” – CNN

“[Editor’s Note: Valerii Zaluzhnyi has been Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 2021. This article was written before an expected announcement of his dismissal. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. Read a detailed CNN analysis of this article here, and the full essay here.]

“… It is well known by now that a central driver of this war is the development of unmanned weapons systems. They are proliferating at a breathtaking pace and the scope of their applications grows ever wider. Crucially, it is these unmanned systems – such as drones – along with other types of advanced weapons, that provide the best way for Ukraine to avoid being drawn into a positional war, where we do not possess the advantage. But while mastery of such technologies is key, it is not the only factor influencing current strategy. We must contend with a reduction in military support from key allies, grappling with their own political tensions.

… In conclusion, in 2024, we must focus our main efforts in three areas. Creating a system to provide our armed forces with high-tech assets. Introducing a new philosophy of training and warfare which takes account of restrictions in assets and how they can be deployed. And mastering new combat capabilities as soon as possible. We already possess capabilities to eliminate the enemy and ensure the existence of statehood. Our goal must be to seize the moment – to maximize our accumulation of the latest combat capabilities, which will allow us to commit fewer resources to inflicting maximum damage on the enemy, to end the aggression and protect Ukraine from it in the future.”

Click here for: “Ukraine’s army chief: The design of war has changed” – CNN: Valerii Zaluzhnyi

[File Photo of General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine –  Source: Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, via Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International]