A drone optimized for a new mission. A development of a new tactic to employ unmanned systems. An advance in electronic warfare.
Since the war in Ukraine began, these incremental innovations have offered the side that produces them a window of advantage—until the other side responds with its own means of countering the innovation. The conflict has, therefore, taken on the characteristics of an arms race, with both Ukrainian and Russian forces—along with both sides’ military institutions and an array of private actors—seeking to innovate to gain an upper hand on the battlefield. But over the course of three and a half years of fighting, the pace of that arms race has increased steadily. Each innovation produces a briefer period of advantage than the previous one, with both sides facing the pressure to field the next novel technology or employment tactic.
To explore the arms race dynamic of the war, John Amble is joined on this episode of the MWI Podcast by Sam Bendett, an adviser and member of the Russia Studies Program at CNA and a close observer of the way Ukraine and Russia are leveraging technological innovation in the war.
The MWI Podcast is produced through an endowment generously funded by the West Point Class of 1974. You can listen to this episode of the podcast below, and if you aren’t already subscribed, be sure to find it on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app so you don’t miss an episode. While you’re there, please take just a moment to leave the podcast a rating or give it a review!
Image credit: armyinform.com.ua
