Page 9 - QDG Year of 2022 CREST

The refresh to the 2021 Integrated Review was published in early 2023 against a backdrop of a more volatile and contested world. Nowhere is this vola- tility more clearly demonstrated than in the acute threat posed by Russia. The on-going war in Ukraine is the most visible and is the largest military conflict in Europe since the end of the Second World War. The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) General Sir Patrick Sanders stated in his RUSI speech in June 2022 that he believes ‘we are living through a period in history as profound as the one that our forebears did over 80 years ago. Now, as then, our choices will have a dispropor- tionate effect on our future.’
Against this context, our people, as always, remain the Army’s greatest asset. Their spirit and willpower in the face of adversity is critical to success. The war in Ukraine shows that the nature of conflict is unchanging. It is a recip- rocal contest of wills against opponents that think, learn, react and adapt. The media provide daily examples that reaf- firms that the core military capability is the capacity to fight. In doctrine the concept of fighting power describes the combination of conceptual (brain), moral (motivation/spirit) and physical (muscle). Ukraine’s will to fight is hugely impres- sive and this human dimension is clear to all those involved in training Ukrainian soldiers.
Whilst training is part of the physical component it helps develop all three components of fighting power. Through the delivery of a raft of training programmes the United Kingdom is supporting the development of Ukraine’s capacity to fight. Training support to Ukraine started in 2015 under the Oper- ation ORBITAL banner in response to
the illegal seizure of Crimea and the invasion of the Donbas in 2014. In the 7 years before the full-scale illegal invasion by Russian, Operation ORBITAL had trained around 22,000 soldiers. Since then, the UK Governments support has only increased. Over the last year the United Kingdom has ‘granted in kind’ a significant quantity of equipment and munitions: including artillery, air defence, armoured vehicles and NLAW. More recently this gifting has included Challenger 2 main battle tanks and AS90 artillery systems representing a step change in support. On top of this there has been an enormous training effort, both specific to the platform and recruit and junior leadership training. In 2022 over 9,900 recruits and junior leaders were trained, with the target to train a further 20,000 in 2023 being well underway.
The training of Ukrainian recruits and junior leaders at scale in the United Kingdom is a significant undertaking. In 5 weeks, we are turning civilians into soldiers through the delivery on an immer- sive and increasingly sophisticated basic combat training package. The Ukrainian soldiers’ thirst for knowledge to prepare them for war, that at times looks like that experienced by our forbearers in both World War 1 and 2, allows us to move quickly through training whilst ensuring they master the basics. Reports from the frontline suggest that the training being delivered by the United Kingdom and our Partner Nations is not only training large numbers but is also providing a qualitive edge.
An example of this qualitative edge comes from a Ukrainian Battalion Commander who went forward to visit his soldiers on the frontline when they came under attack. Allegedly most of the Company took cover less one section which took the fight to the enemy whilst under significant artillery bombardment. This inspired the rest of the Company, and they ultimately repelled the ground attack. When the Battalion Commander subsequently asked this section why they had done what they did, they said they had been trained in the United Kingdom and were just doing what they had been taught.
Not only are the Ukrainians ferociously brave they are quick to improvise and adapt to the changing character of the conflict. We have much to learn from them. An ability to learn and adapt in this ever more contested and volatile world will ensure we are prepared to fight a conflict in the 21st Century if called upon to do so.
1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards 7
State of the Nation – Senior Serving QDG
JGES DSO, MBE