How the Marine Corps Might Benefit From Closely Watching Ukrainian Tactics

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*This article is being republished to due viewer interest

Kris Osborn – President, Center for Military Modernization

The warzone in Ukraine is certainly an entirely different theater than potential war in the Pacific, yet members of Congress are pointing out some synergies or conceptual parallels related to developing an optimal “mix” of weapons and Combined Arms strategies specific to a particular mission.

Certainly there are many variables contributing to what might be referred to as Ukraine’s unanticipated success against a much larger Russian force, however one of the key reasons for their performance pertains to an ability to establish and interwoven series of weapons, tactics and combat strategies. This includes a combination of longer-range fires such as HIMARS rockets, standard 155mm artillery and key ISR and attack platforms such as Switchblade drones which can themselves loiter for surveillance or become explosives and descend upon and destroy targets.

“Combined Arms” Effect 

Interestingly, these parallels to Ukraine emerged through Warrior’s discussion with Rep. Rob Wittman, (R-Va), Ranking Member of the SeaPower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, about the Navy and Marines in the Pacific. Referring to Ukraine, Wittman made the point that the right combination of weapons, coupled with effective tactics, can achieve a powerful “Combined Arms” effect in warfare.

“if we see what’s happening in Ukraine, we can see that, you know, it’s not just what’s happening with 155s, it’s also what’s happening with other more flexible platforms with things like Switchblade drones, which had been incredibly effective. Looking at HIMARS, and things that, the Marines can use in different ways, again, to hold the enemy at risk at distance, and with a number of platforms that make it much more difficult for the enemy to counter,” Wittman told Warrior.