Future War: Has Ukraine Made Tanks Obsolete?

By Kris Osborn, President, Warrior

Attack drone swarms, mobile anti-armor weapons and hit and run ambush-style attacks have all simply decimated Russia’s tank force, a development that continues to inspire international attention to the utility and potential combat vulnerability of heavy armor and mechanized maneuver. 

Countless media reports continue to emphasize the vulnerability of tanks, something which has in part helped generate new concepts of operation. The US Marine Corps Force Design 2030, which specifically cites lessons learned from the Ukraine war, calls for a massive reduction in the service’s force of tanks. The Corps subsequently decided to divest its force of tanks in favor of a lighter, faster, and more expeditionary lethal force using an increased number of drones and anti-armor weapons for high-speed multi-domain attacks. 

However, the circumstances are quite different for the Army, which has consistently upgraded its fleet of Abrams tanks and made tactical adjustments to ensure their continued relevance. There do appear to be many key variables that many of the reports about tank destruction in Ukraine appear to miss to a certain extent.

There appear to be many reasons why the tank is here to stay, particularly if upgraded. Modern applications of what could be identified as traditional Combined Arms Maneuver using heavier platforms such as tanks continues to show great combat effectiveness, particularly when paired with reconnaissance and targeting units, advanced ISR and a new generation of networking and command and control technology.