Page 85 - KRH Regimental Journal 2022

The Regimental Journal of The King’s Royal Hussars 83
A Hawk Learning Lessons...
After returning from Afghanistan just in advance of the chaos of the final with- drawal in August 2021 (“it was all fine when I left” etc etc...), I found myself at the back end of 2021 in need of gainful employment again. The Army Personnel Centre roulette wheel determined that it was to be as the Head of the Army’s Lessons Exploitation Centre, at the Land Warfare Centre in Warminster. Warminster is not quite the tweed-clad, spaniel-urine-whiffing edifice
of yesteryear, but I saw ahead three years of relatively steady les- sons gathering, analysis and dissemination to adjust doctrine, training and keeping our warfare development ticking over. And then, of course, Mr Putin invaded Ukraine...
Since 24th February 2022, it has been an exhilarating ride. I am the Army’s lead for organisational learning – with a specific focus on operations, training and threat. The invasion itself kicked off a number of workstreams to identify what has changed in the way war was being waged. Some commentators have observed that, if Vietnam was the first war consumed on television, then Ukraine was the first time we consumed it on our smart phones. In very many areas, the social media feeds were faster and more accurate than mainstream media; and in fact, were often picked up by the latter and amplified. The ‘battle of the narratives’ was fascinating – who could have foreseen President Zelenskyy speaking direct to national parliaments, the EU, NATO and the UN, to firstly create, and then shore up, international support in the form of weapons and munitions?
We also observed the use of mass fires for the first time in dec- ades – this time often cued by drones and the direction finding of insecure radios and mobile phone signals. Some of the tactics and kit used in Ukraine have undoubtedly been new but much, if we are honest with ourselves, had been forgotten. And while drones, cyber and precision strikes perhaps take the headlines, war in Eastern Ukraine during the winter looks very much like some- thing from the Great War. Readers may observe that 20 years of counter insurgency operations chasing shadows around Iraq and Afghanistan have eroded our understanding of fighting against a peer enemy in Europe; and there is definitely a bit of a feeling of déjà vu when we continue to drum into people the essentials of battlefield discipline: camouflage, concealment, deception,
dispersion, control of emissions and, yes, being prepared to dig for protection. Plus ça change, plus c›est la même chose...
We continue to work hard to ensure the key lessons from Ukraine are fed back into the Army to change our doctrine, training, and force preparation – for the Army we have today. And then send the correct demand signal into the wider Army for the capa- bilities and structures we need for tomorrow. Our exploitation Newsletters and a regular drumbeat of fortnightly Reflections Notes have found their way into extraordinary places: right across the Army, UK Defence, NATO, the Five Eyes community and even Ministers’ Red Boxes. There is a genuine thirst and willingness to learn – and even some money to do it with. Our job is to help the Army get there.
So, it has been a fascinating year and clearly the conflict still has a long way to go into 2023 – with the outcome still unclear. If I may misquote Vizzini in the Princess Bride, Mr Putin might have done well to take the advice “never get involved in a land war in Europe...”
MNW