“The nature of war has changed”

editor’s Note: Valery Zaluzhny is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 2021. This article was written before the expected announcement of his dismissal. The opinions expressed in this comment are his own. Read CNN’s detailed analysis of this article here and the full essay here.

(CNN) — World War II ended almost 80 years ago, but its legacy in defining the strategic vision of war continues to this day.

For example, no matter how remarkable progress has been made in the field of aviation, missile technology and space resources, the concept of victory remains unchanged: destroying the enemy and capturing or liberating territory.

And yet, each war is unique.

And, in my opinion, there is no greater challenge for a military commander than understanding how each war takes a different form when the time comes.

First of all, due to technological progress, which determines the development of weapons and equipment.

And, secondly, due to internal and external political circumstances and economic environment.

Winning requires a unique strategy and following a unique logic.

It is already well known that a central factor in this war is the development of unmanned weapon systems.

They are growing at a rapid pace and their scope of applications is becoming increasingly broad.

Basically, these unmanned systems – like drones – along with other types of advanced weapons, offer Ukraine the best way to avoid getting caught in a positional war where we do not have the advantage.

Although mastering these techniques is important, it is not the only factor that influences the current strategy.

We have to deal with less military support from key allies, while dealing with our own political tensions.

Our partners’ stocks of missiles, air defense interceptors and artillery ammunition are being depleted due to the intensification of hostilities in Ukraine, but also due to the global shortage of propellant charges.

Russia, given how events in the Middle East have distracted international attention, may seek to provoke more conflict elsewhere.

The weakness of the international sanctions regime means that Russia, in partnership with some others, can still deploy its military-industrial complex in search of war against us.

We must recognize the significant advantage the enemy has in mobilizing its human resources and how this compares with the inability of state institutions in Ukraine to improve the personnel level of our armed forces without the use of unpopular measures.

Finally, we remain crippled by the shortcomings of our country’s regulatory framework as well as the partial monopoly of the defense industry. This leads to disruptions in ammunition production, for example, which deepens Ukraine’s dependence on allied supplies.

Our war experience, especially since 2022, is unique, but to win, we must constantly find new methods and new capabilities that will help us gain the edge over the enemy.

Perhaps the number one priority here is the mastery of the entire arsenal of (relatively) cheap, modern and highly effective unmanned vehicles, along with other technical means.

These means already allow commanders to monitor the situation on the battlefield in real time, day and night and in all weather conditions.

But not only this.

They provide real-time intelligence, allowing fires to be adjusted 24 hours a day without interruption, giving us the ability to launch high-precision strikes against enemy targets in advanced positions and depth.

In short, this means nothing less than a complete redesign of battlefield operations and abandoning old and orthodox thinking.

New operations could include the creation of digital zones, control of the radio-electronic environment or a joint operation using attack drones and cyber assets.

These works will be coordinated and executed under a single concept and plan.

Importantly, the goal will not always be to focus solely on war.

It may attempt to undermine, isolate, or weaken the enemy’s economic capabilities.

Attack actions may have psychological motives.

He said, the priority at the moment is to improve the situation on the battlefield.

And here technology has undoubted superiority over tradition.

Remote control of these assets means that fewer soldiers will be harmed, thereby reducing the level of human loss.

This provides an opportunity to reduce (though certainly not eliminate) the reliance on heavy materiel in combat operations and the overall conduct of hostilities.

And it opens up the possibility of launching sudden large-scale attacks on critical infrastructure and communications centers without deploying expensive missiles or manned aircraft.

Other advantages will become apparent over time, although of course the enemy will always be looking for ways to circumvent such operations and seize or regain the initiative.

Therefore, there is a need for continuous improvement in defense systems, as well as countermeasures against the use of new technology by the enemy.

The challenge facing our armed forces cannot be underestimated.

It is about creating a completely new state system of technological revival.

Taking everything into account at this time, we believe that the construction of such a system can be achieved within five months.

Our friends also think the same.

This time will be spent creating an appropriate organizational structure, filling and equipping positions, providing training and support, building supporting infrastructure and logistics, and developing a theoretical framework.

In conclusion, in 2024 we should focus our main efforts on three areas.

Create a system to provide high-tech assets to our armed forces.

Introduce a new training and combat philosophy that takes into account constraints on assets and how they can be deployed.

And master new combat abilities as quickly as possible.

We already have the ability to destroy the enemy and guarantee the survival of a state.

Our goal should be to take advantage of this moment: to maximize our creation of the latest combat capabilities, which will allow us to inflict maximum damage on the enemy, end aggression, and devote less resources to defending Ukraine in the future.