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 battle.
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 capacity to proceed to innovate below hearth. Our dialog has been frivolously edited for size and readability.
The Cipher Transient: You’ve been completely different components 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 am going to let you know that the battle is progressing precisely in the way in which that it has beforehand. Because the Ukrainians make advances in know-how, the Russians are adapting. They’re adapting their strategies and techniques for making an attempt to impose prices towards Ukrainians and vice versa. It nonetheless stays one thing of a rat race of technological growth right here in Ukraine. Numerous the commanders are tremendous annoyed with the useful resource constraints that they’ve, however they’re doing one of the best they’ll. And I can let you know that the primary factor that many Ukrainians have instructed us is that their greatest profit – their greatest power – is that morale stays excessive, and based mostly on our personal observations throughout our travels, I am going to let you know that that is precisely the case.
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The Cipher Transient: The Cipher Transient was with you in Ukraine this previous Could, and there was quite a lot of concentrate on innovation and know-how and getting info as shortly as potential 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 major change or a development in that since Could?
Gagnard: There are some important advances which were made right here. Since we had been right here earlier than, the Ukrainians have sped up the data circulate 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, a few of the constraints that they’ve logistically, a few of the weapon techniques that they are receiving – proceed to run quick. They’re nonetheless very depending on Western assist for a few of the weapons techniques that they do not have, that they want so as to impose extra prices towards the Russians. However they’re making super advances when it comes to how they use info and the velocity 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 had been skilled to do enterprise will not be going to be enough, they usually’ve made variations to align extra with NATO requirements that they’ve clearly grow to be conscious of by means of their relationships with the completely different individuals right here in nation. I am tremendous impressed with the variations that the Ukrainian commanders proceed to make, breaking away from the coaching and the doctrine that they had been steeped in every time they had been arising as younger officers and younger troopers. These commanders that do have navy expertise, you’ll be able to see that paying dividends for them.
The best items appear to be adopting some completely different techniques, wanting critically on the battle areas that they are working in and at a few of the applied sciences that they’ve at their disposal they usually’re making most use of them. It is terribly spectacular to look at what they’re doing with the sources they’ve.
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The Cipher Transient: We hear loads concerning 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 outstanding quantity with the restricted know-how that they’ve. For the Ukrainian theater, the know-how that they’ve developed throughout this battle is completely one of the best factor on the market, one of the best factor wherever on the earth proper now, for this theater.
Numerous American corporations are making nice know-how that’s centered on completely different priorities. I believe there are some actual alternatives to put money into a few of the techniques and a few of the issues that the Ukrainians are doing to higher perceive that within the West, particularly with a few of the insurance policies which can be popping out of the Pentagon, we try to make our protection business extra agile and extra nimble.
I believe 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 believe that is a serious alternative for us.
Equally, a few of the issues that they’ve finished 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 believe that that may make an outsized impression if we may by some means get fight troopers concerned with Ukrainian Armed Forces in any capability. I believe it might be welcomed and I believe it might have an outsized impression on all of our strategic pursuits.
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