Ukrainian commander points out a critical weakness in NATO’s training tactics
(Dan Tri) – A Ukrainian commander admitted that if he had followed exactly the advice given by Western experts during training, he could have died on the battlefield.
Ukrainian soldiers in a Western training course (Photo: AFP).
A Ukrainian commander nicknamed Suleman told the Financial Times that he could have died on the battlefield if he had followed exactly the instructions in the Western training program.
Previously, Suleman had undergone training courses from British, American and Polish soldiers.
However, some soldiers admit that the tactics and principles they learn from NATO are often not suitable for implementation on the battlefield.
`If I had only followed what the Western army taught, I would have died,` Suleman, a special forces commander in Ukraine’s 78th regiment, admitted to the British newspaper.
During training, Suleman said he was given `some good advice` but also `not so good advice, for example how to handle enemy trenches. I told them (officers)
Suleman is not the only Ukrainian soldier who believes that NATO training programs do not fully match the realities of the battlefield.
A senior intelligence sergeant in the 41st Mechanized Brigade, who goes by the nickname `Dutchman`, admitted last month: `I don’t want to say anything against our partners, but they don’t.
Ukrainian soldiers believe their instructors have never participated in a war like the Russia-Ukraine conflict – the first clash between two heavily armed armies in decades.
Most Western forces have experienced smaller-scale conflicts such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan, where their side had a huge advantage in resources and far superior technology.
`We needed people to understand how to handle trenches, get into trenches effectively, how to throw grenades effectively, how not to fall for traps, understand what kind of grenades the Russians were throwing – basically,` Dutchman admitted.
In some cases, Ukraine decided to change the tactics they learned in training because it proved ineffective in the counterattack, the New York Times said.
A report published by the UK-based Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) earlier this month recommended that Western nations stop training Ukrainians to become NATO-style officers.
RUSI warned that training activities should closely follow the characteristics of the battlefield where Ukrainians are fighting, instead of following NATO standards.
For example, RUSI points out that NATO is training Ukrainian soldiers to overwhelm with firepower, however, it is difficult for Kiev to do this because Russia’s potential is far superior.