Italy may donate 155mm howitzers to Ukraine
Ukraine could obtain more 155mm howitzers — this time from Italy — as Kyiv seeks to tip the artillery balance against Russia.
A Canadian small-arms instructor conducting a range practise with Ukranian soldiers in 2018. (Photo: Canadian DND)
The 19th century US sea power strategist Capt Alfred Thayer Mahan said that he would rather face a modern ship with an untrained crew than an older ship with a trained crew. Mahan was giving implicit credence to the idea that it is not always the force with the greatest firepower that wins the firefight.
Training, along with logistics and morale, is often underplayed in modern conflict studies but can be force-multipliers in their own right and as the war in Ukraine unfolds, it is timely to consider their impact.
Firstly it is worth noting that the war is ongoing
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Ukraine could obtain more 155mm howitzers — this time from Italy — as Kyiv seeks to tip the artillery balance against Russia.
Will Germany decide to provide ten medium-range SAM systems to Ukraine?
The Spanish Navy support vessel Reina Isabel returned to its homeport on 13 May after a mission to deliver arms, ammunition and Ukraine — although Kyiv did not receive everything it expected.
It seems appealing to fast-track pilot training by conducting most flights on simulators and omitting certain procedures if the West were to give more modern aircraft for Ukraine’s air force, but it might prove challenging in practice.
The sinking in April of the Russian Navy’s Black Sea flagship, although not evidence of a major change in the naval domain, is a far cry from the pre-emptive scuttling of Ukraine’s own flagship. The donation of increasingly advanced materiel demonstrates increased faith in Ukraine’s ability to resist the Russian invaders.
The latest security assistance package from the DoD for Ukraine comprises 25,000 of 155mm artillery rounds, three AN/TPQ-36 counter-artillery radars, electronic jamming equipment, field equipment and spare parts.