Comments by "Stephen Sipe" (@stephensipe5405) on "Stefan Korshak Compares Training for Trench Fighting to the Real Thing" video.
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It is true training environments should, but do not always reflect, reality. Thankfully, NATO Units does not fight like Ukrainians. This video incorrectly suggested US Units would only use overwhelming force, while not supplying Ukrainian Units with such force. This is BS.
Ukrainian Military Command had an idea of what Units it could equip by November 2022. By March 2023 many of these planned Units were already NATO trained and equipped at staging areas in Ukraine. My guess, about 11 of 18 Brigades and 3 out of 5 Regiments of artillery. By June this was now 18 out of 24 Brigades. By August all 5 Regiments of artillery were deployed and 24 Brigades were fully equipped.
So why is Ukrainian Offensives so slow?
The Kyiv Post is ignoring Ukrainian Military Command problems. There are 3 in particular:
1: Ukrainians still use Soviet Unit organization at Company, Battalion, Brigade, and Division Levels. This Unit organization organically pushes decision making to higher Command levels, which is inherently slower than NATO Unit organization and Command. Ukrainians still have a lot to learn about fighting a modern war.
2: Ukrainians are still using Soviet schemes of maneuver and a Soviet battlefield mindset. This is a linear view. NATO uses thrusts centered on overwhelming force at the POA (point of attack). Ukrainians used this concept in the Kharkiv Offensive of 2022, but did not use in Kherson Oblast West nor in the current Offensives. NATO schemes would use a Battalion to crush a Platoon or Company and then use another Battalion to strike through to go deep. NATO tactics are to speed up engagements to thwart Enemy decking making. Ukrainians are fighting a slower Soviet attrition scheme.
3: Ukrainians do not follow the Principles Of War. Exploiting success like at Bahkmut South Flank, would have forced Russians to react. This speeds up a battle. Adding additional Ukrainian Units would have caused relentless pressure. Ukrainian higher Command Levels are slow to react compared to NATO leadership.
4: Ukrainian also violated another Principle: Economy Of Force. Spreading Russians out early in the war was a good way to find weak spots. Bahkmut South Flank and 2 Salients in Zaporizhzhya Oblast were IDed in June. By mid July, other Offensive positions should have dug in at their LOA (limit of advance). Only these 3 Offensives should have gotten priorities of fires. All new Brigades should have been focused in these 3 Offensives.
5: Ukrainian NCOs are all NATO trained. However, NCOs only can demonstrate independent leadership at the Squad (10-15 troops), Platoon (15-30 troops), and occasionally Company level. These are the small Units Ukrainians are using to spearhead Offensive Operations. The Ukrainian Officer Corp is mostly NOT trained by NATO. These means slow moving small Units are doing the work larger Units should be achieving via strategic maneuver.
These are the reasons Ukrainians are moving slow. Getting F16s and NATO weapons for the F16s will only paper only legacy Soviet organization and schemes. The only NATO deficiency was having MICLIC range not go 1500K or 2000K. Even with this, Ukrainians failed to use obscuration/smoke.
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