ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Equipment the Army has been sending to Ukraine to help in the fight against Russia has been proven “highly effective” in combat, a senior Army official said.

Douglas Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, said the performance of vehicles and munitions in Ukraine “validates the Army’s approach to how we produce things and how we test and design them.”

Though the admission of Finland to NATO strengthens the alliance’s eastern flank and increases its available military resources, the move also introduces new vulnerabilities for the 31-member organization, according to a new paper published by the Association of the U.S. Army. 

The war in Ukraine has many lessons for the U.S. Army and its partners and allies, experts said May 16 during a panel discussion at the Association of the U.S. Army’s 2023 LANPAC Symposium and Exposition in Honolulu. They also cautioned that it is possible to learn the wrong lessons.

The war in Ukraine is “far from over” as Russia remains a significant threat and China continues to increase its influence in several European sectors, the officer in charge of U.S. forces in Europe said.

In testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, Gen. Christopher Cavoli, commander of U.S. European Command and NATO’s supreme allied commander, said the U.S. “remains optimistic for Ukraine’s future, but this war is far from over,” because while Russia shows no sign of relenting, it is not the only problem facing the European alliance.

Speaking Feb. 15 at a NATO ministerial conference, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Russia’s “reckless war of choice” represents the worst European security crisis since World War II and requires a “fundamental shift” in the alliance’s collective defense and deterrence efforts.

The U.S. Army could face years of ammunition shortages because of supplies provided to Ukraine unless efforts are made to increase manufacturing, a bipartisan policy research group says. 

The Center for Strategic and International Studies warns of potentially critical shortages in Stinger and Javelin missiles and in 155-millimeter shells that could, in extreme cases, take years to replace.