"This is exactly what Putin feared": A US general explained how Ukraine built a new army
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The Ukrainian army has evolved from a weak and corrupt structure to one of the most adaptive forces in modern warfare. Russian aggression has largely accelerated this transformation, writes US Army Lieutenant General Mark Gertling in The Bulwark.
Gertling recalls his first encounter with Ukrainian soldiers in 2004 in Iraq. At the time, he assessed, the Ukrainian contingent was experiencing serious problems with discipline, training, logistics, and combat readiness.
He describes the army of that period as a structure that still largely retained its Soviet institutional legacy. Officers, he says, were incompetent, NCOs were untrained, and corruption remained a serious problem. "I remember thinking that this was an army that still carried much of the institutional DNA of the Soviet Union," the general recalls.
However, over time, the situation began to change. When Gertling commanded the US Army in Europe, he worked closely with the Ukrainian military. The Ukrainian command sought to adopt new approaches to training its soldiers, and sergeants were sent to study at American military academies.
This cooperation took on particular significance after 2014, when Russia occupied Crimea and launched aggression in Donbas. According to Gertling, Russian aggression did not break Ukraine, but rather accelerated the creation of the army Moscow feared most:
"Putin helped accelerate the creation of exactly what he feared: a formidable Ukrainian national army." The result became especially noticeable in February 2022. Russian troops encountered a completely different Ukrainian army than they had known in 2014.
Junior commanders began making decisions independently, small units quickly adapted to changes on the battlefield, and military personnel improvised when initial plans failed. Ukrainian commanders also gained significant combat experience.
However, Gertling believes that this transformation should not be attributed solely to Western aid:
"We didn't turn the Ukrainian army into an American one. The Ukrainians made it their own and made it extremely agile in training and adaptation."
Today, he said, Western military forces are already studying Ukrainian experience. This includes, in particular, the use of drones, electronic warfare, combat reconnaissance, dispersed operations, and the ability to quickly adapt tactics to the situation.
At the same time, the general acknowledges that Ukraine's political transformation remains far more complex. Corruption has not been completely eradicated, and debates over governance, accountability, and the relationship between parliament and the presidency continue. The result became especially noticeable in February 2022. Russian troops encountered a completely different Ukrainian army than they had known in 2014.
Junior commanders began making decisions independently, small units quickly adapted to changes on the battlefield, and military personnel improvised when initial plans failed. Ukrainian commanders also gained significant combat experience.
However, Gertling believes that this transformation should not be attributed solely to Western aid:
"We didn't turn the Ukrainian army into an American one. The Ukrainians made it their own and made it extremely agile in training and adaptation."
Today, he said, Western military forces are already studying Ukrainian experience. This includes, in particular, the use of drones, electronic warfare, combat reconnaissance, dispersed operations, and the ability to quickly adapt tactics to the situation.
At the same time, the general acknowledges that Ukraine's political transformation remains far more complex. Corruption has not been completely eradicated, and debates over governance, accountability, and the relationship between parliament and the presidency continue.
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