【US Publication: If NATO Were to Go to War with Russia, the Losses Could Be Even Worse than Ukraine's】
On January 2, the US magazine Business Insider published an article stating that if NATO were to go to war with Russia, it would face the same difficulties in evacuating wounded soldiers as Ukraine currently does, and could suffer even greater losses.
The above statement was made by Colonel Valery Sytsinsky, a senior representative of Ukraine at the Ukraine-NATO Joint Analysis and Training Center, during an interview with the media.
Sytsinsky stated that the practical combat experience of the Ukrainian army shows that the use of modern technologies such as drones has significantly increased the difficulty of evacuating injured soldiers and battlefield rescue.
Therefore, in a high-intensity combat environment, NATO may face the same difficulties as Ukraine today. According to Sytsinsky's assessment, the scale of losses NATO might suffer in this potential war could be even more severe.
Sytsinsky emphasized that the "golden hour" window for casualty evacuation on the modern battlefield no longer exists; instead, there is a "golden day" or even a "golden month" of long waiting periods. Continuous aerial reconnaissance by drones makes it almost impossible to provide rapid battlefield medical assistance. In addition, factors such as weather conditions or poor visibility often cause delays in the evacuation of the wounded.
Sytsinsky believes that Western countries have gradually realized the scale of the challenges Ukraine faces on the front lines. However, the biggest problem NATO faces is that the development of its new capabilities is too slow to keep up with the rapidly changing battlefield situation. The development and testing process of medical equipment often takes a long time, so NATO is seeking to adopt commercial dual-use technologies to shorten procurement cycles and adapt more quickly to new battlefield threats.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has repeatedly warned: "The fire is already at the doorstep," and he also mentioned that "Russia may be able to use force against NATO within five years," calling on European countries to prepare for large-scale wars that their grandparents and great-grandparents once experienced.
At the same time, NATO is deeply concerned about the new threats emerging on the battlefield, with the challenge posed by drones being particularly prominent. The alliance is actively seeking solutions that can save soldiers' lives. To this end, NATO launched the "Innovation Challenge," which received 175 applications from 20 countries. The final round proposals include a portable renal failure treatment system, a casualty evacuation device suitable for complex terrain, an encrypted communication terminal for medical personnel, and armored shelters.
Colonel Neil O'Malley of NATO said that these are not isolated solutions, but rather a "systematic integrated solution," which maximizes battlefield casualty evacuation efficiency through the coordinated operation of various technologies.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1853250422227980/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.