Cipher Transient unique: Retired CW5 Joey Gagnard particulars how Ukrainian commanders are rewriting the rulebook on tech, techniques, and survival.
EXPERT Q&A —This week, after the Russian drone incursions into Poland, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned Ukraine will practice Polish representatives on the counter drone techniques that it has developed within the warfare.
Retired Chief Warrant Officer (CW5) Joey Gagnard, was on the bottom in Ukraine this week and talks with Cipher Transient CEO and Writer Suzanne Kelly about Ukraine’s means to proceed to innovate below hearth. Our dialog has been calmly edited for size and readability.
The Cipher Transient: You’ve been completely different elements of Ukraine this week and have spent a while alongside the entrance traces, speaking with Ukrainian navy leaders. What are they telling you about how this battle is progressing, how are issues on the bottom?
Gagnard: I will inform you that the battle is progressing precisely in the way in which that it has beforehand. Because the Ukrainians make advances in expertise, the Russians are adapting. They’re adapting their strategies and techniques for attempting to impose prices in opposition to Ukrainians and vice versa. It nonetheless stays one thing of a rat race of technological growth right here in Ukraine. Loads of the commanders are tremendous annoyed with the useful resource constraints that they’ve, however they’re doing the perfect they will. And I can inform you that the primary factor that many Ukrainians have informed us is that their largest profit – their largest power – is that morale stays excessive, and based mostly on our personal observations throughout our travels, I will inform you that that is precisely the case.
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The Cipher Transient: The Cipher Transient was with you in Ukraine this previous Might, and there was lots of deal with innovation and expertise and getting info as shortly as doable from the battle house to the commanders and integrating that into the intelligence stream shortly. Have you ever seen something throughout this go to that marks a big change or a development in that since Might?
Gagnard: There are some important advances which were made right here. Since we have been right here earlier than, the Ukrainians have sped up the data movement from the entrance traces all the way in which again to the command facilities the place they’re making choices on use of a few of their weapon techniques.
Sadly, among the constraints that they’ve logistically, among the weapon techniques that they are receiving – proceed to run brief. They’re nonetheless very depending on Western assist for among the weapons techniques that they do not have, that they want with the intention to impose extra prices in opposition to the Russians. However they’re making great advances by way of how they use info and the pace at which info goes from the purpose of seize again to the command facilities.
The commanders are very conscious that the way in which they have been skilled to do enterprise is just not going to be enough, and so they’ve made diversifications to align extra with NATO requirements that they’ve clearly turn out to be conscious of by way of their relationships with the completely different individuals right here in nation. I am tremendous impressed with the diversifications that the Ukrainian commanders proceed to make, breaking away from the coaching and the doctrine that they have been steeped in at any time when they have been developing as younger officers and younger troopers. These commanders that do have navy expertise, you possibly can see that paying dividends for them.
The best models appear to be adopting some completely different techniques, trying critically on the battle areas that they are working in and at among the applied sciences that they’ve at their disposal and so they’re making most use of them. It is terribly spectacular to observe what they’re doing with the assets they’ve.
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The Cipher Transient: We hear rather a lot in regards to the challenges they’re going through. What alternatives do you see for the navy within the subsequent a number of months?
Gagnard: The Ukrainians are doing an exceptional quantity with the restricted expertise that they’ve. For the Ukrainian theater, the expertise that they’ve developed throughout this battle is totally the perfect factor on the market, the perfect factor anyplace on this planet proper now, for this theater.
Loads of American corporations are making nice expertise that’s targeted on completely different priorities. I feel there are some actual alternatives to spend money on among the techniques and among the issues that the Ukrainians are doing to raised perceive that within the West, particularly with among the insurance policies which might be popping out of the Pentagon, we try to make our protection business extra agile and extra nimble.
I feel there’s some actual alternatives to foster these relationships with the Ukrainians and see how they’re doing enterprise, see how they’ve tied business into their protection ecosystem. I feel that is a serious alternative for us.
Equally, among the issues that they’ve achieved with open supply info presents actual alternatives for our protection enterprise to take classes from, frankly.
Except for that, I am nonetheless an enormous advocate for having nearer navy integration, shoulder-to-shoulder with the Ukrainian Armed forces right here in Ukraine. I feel that that might make an outsized affect if we may by some means get fight troopers concerned with Ukrainian Armed Forces in any capability. I feel it might be welcomed and I feel it might have an outsized affect on all of our strategic pursuits.
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