Reference News Network August 29 report: The U.S. military information network published an article on August 25 with the title "The United States Is Not Prepared for Modern Warfare," written by Daniel Davis, a retired U.S. Army major and senior researcher at the "Defense Priorities" organization. The translation is as follows:

Earlier this year, President Donald Trump of the United States made a definitive statement during a press conference in Qatar: "No one can beat us." He continued, "We have the strongest army in the world. Not China, not Russia, not anyone else!"

The United States indeed has a powerful military, but we are ill-prepared for a modern war. This is because although there have been significant advances in war technology in recent years, human elements remain crucial, and the U.S. military still lacks understanding of how ground forces can work with drones.

Since the outbreak of the Ukraine-Russia war, ground combat has gradually evolved over the past three and a half years. This not only explains why the Russian forces have advanced slowly and the Ukrainian forces have gradually lost ground, but also reveals the serious challenges the United States would face if it were forced to get involved in a similar war.

Some people believe that the reason Russia has not completely conquered Ukraine is due to the low quality of Russian officers and soldiers. This conclusion ignores the truly disruptive impact that drones have had on ground operations.

Although discussions about disruptive weapons have never ceased, only the widespread deployment of drones has truly changed the nature of this war.

Any ground mobile target can be discovered and locked onto within minutes by drones. Reconnaissance drones can scan potential targets and guide attack drones to strike. Other drones circle above the battlefield, waiting for their moment.

However, human factors remain the decisive factor in war: while drones and air strikes can cause great destruction, seizing or holding territory still requires ground forces.

Rather than launching costly frontal attacks, the Russian forces now often flank Ukrainian positions and cities, first conducting saturation attacks with artillery and glide bombs, then using drones to suppress defenders, and finally sending infantry to occupy territory.

This holds a warning for the United States and NATO. We do not know how to fight this kind of war. Until recently, the Pentagon has only begun to pay attention to drone warfare, which should have been addressed after the 2020 conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We are still addicted to maneuver warfare, "deterrence and intimidation," and the concept of quick victory. These concepts are no longer applicable in such evenly matched conflicts.

Russia took nearly two years to abandon its outdated ideas about modern warfare. They completed the transformation, but we have not. Earlier this month, the Ukrainian military even mocked the newly revised U.S. Army field manual "Tank Platoon," openly pointing out that our theories are out of touch with current battlefield realities.

The U.S. armed forces today undoubtedly have professional skills, high-quality personnel, and advanced equipment. However, our concepts about how to wage a modern war are far behind. Russia and Ukraine spent almost a year and a half to fully realize how various types of drones have changed the nature of war. Both sides paid a huge price to learn these lessons.

The U.S. Army has studied the Ukraine-Russia conflict and last month released a brief overview of the changes in the nature of the war. It is useful and commendable. But theoretical knowledge alone cannot win the next war. We must immediately carry out deep and thorough reforms, so that we have a chance to avoid disaster in future ground operations. If the Pentagon truly takes this seriously, the leadership would not just issue a report. They would urgently revise our operational theory, equipment systems, types of ammunition, etc., to ensure that U.S. military units can successfully operate in the new conflict world.

However, there is currently little evidence that they have taken any such actions. (Translated by Yang Xuele)

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7543837069248840235/

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