Thread by @WarintheFuture

In the past few months, many western nations have stepped up the provision of weapons and munitions to #Ukraine. This will be key to the coming Ukrainian offensives. But #leadership at all levels of the Ukrainian government and military will be even more important. 1/23🧵

2/ There are two aspects of combat power which are vital for Ukraine’s defence. These are the moral and intellectual elements of their nation's fighting power.

3/ The intellectual component provides the knowledge of war, strategy and cognitive capability – the ‘what to think’. The moral component reinforces culture, values and legitimacy, and is a foundation for the will to fight.

4/ The moral and intellectual aspects of combat power are the domain of humans, and in particular, leaders. abc.net.au/news/2023-05-2…

5/ Few need reminding of the role played by President Zelensky in this war. Zelensky has united his people, and led his nation through the calamity of a Russian campaign desired to exterminate his country.

6/ His “I need ammunition, not a ride” moment will be recorded in history alongside the great statements of wartime leaders such as Churchill’s “we shall fight them on the beaches” or Lincoln’s “last full measure of devotion”.

7/ The secret of good #leadership is that it is a shared undertaking. Great leaders listen to their subordinates and then provide them with clear purpose, resources and direction. They then step out of the way, allowing subordinate leaders to get on with the job.

8/ For #Ukraine, another critical leadership function is played by Defence Minister @oleksiireznikov & @CinC_AFU Zaluzhny. Reznikov has shuttled between Kyiv and western capitals gaining masses of military aid for his nation. He is one of the unsung heroes of this war.

9/ Zaluzhny has been more internally focused, expanding his military while overseeing the military strategies that have seen Ukraine defend itself and take back territory, while also planning for the offensives to come.

10/ Both men operate within what @EliotACohen has described as an ‘unequal dialog’ between the civilian and military leadership. It is a robust, interactive and ongoing dialog about the war, where all have a say but only one - the President - makes the final call.

11/ Zaluzhny commands another layer of leaders, his senior military leadership, which lead the army, navy and air forces, as well as his joint forces command, intelligence, logistics and other functions.

12/These generals are the ones who turn strategic direction into plans, fighting forces, logistic support, air defence, long range strike, intelligence collection and the many other vital military functions that must be synchronized for a nation to win a war.

13/ A final layer of leaders that will be vital for the coming Ukrainian offensives will be tactical leaders.

14/ These are the section, platoon, company, squadron, battalion, regiment, wing and brigade commanders whose entire focus is the rehearsals, preparations and execution of close combat to defeat the Russians.

15/ Executing a myriad of tasks while tired, wet, time-poor and lacking the full picture of the situation before them, the training, educational and development of these leaders is the primary function of good military institutions.

16/ The existential threat of the Russians has seen the Ukrainian armed forces build a new generation of tactical leaders. Many of them - leading from the front - have been killed, wounded and terribly maimed in this war.

17/ At the same time, they have been learning about new ways of war, to exploit drones and digital command networks to better connect reconnaissance forces with artillery while also improving and networking combined arms operations.

18/ It is this generation of tactical leaders, who have learned Western approaches to mission command and developed their own Ukrainian Way of War. These leaders provide the purpose, direction and inspiration to their people in circumstances few outsiders understand.

19/ They are commanding a Ukrainian army of professional soldiers as well as 100s of thousands who have left their lives as musicians, tradesmen, doctors, dancers & others united by a common love of their country & who have accepted the unlimited liability of military service.

20/ Like no others of their society, tactical leaders are given the profound and terrible responsibility of leading their units in the killing their enemies on the battlefield. It is the purest, and most horrendous, expression of human will.

21/ Therefore, as we celebrate the extraordinarily valuable commitments of Western hardware in preparing the Ukrainians for the offensives to come, we should not forget the leaders that turn these mountains of materiel into effective warfighting formations.

22/ As the various phases of the coming Ukrainian offensives are executed, it will be leaders at many levels who will ultimately determine victory or failure. The fate of their nation rests on the quality of their leadership. End abc.net.au/news/2023-05-2…

23/ Thank you to the following whose images and links are used in this thread: @abcnews @cnni @TDF_UA @Liberov @combined2forces @DefenceU @Eyes_On_Ukraine