Unmanned aerial vehicles are now critical to the of modern warfare. They are used on water, land, in the air, as well as in other realms such as space. This opinion was expressed by Colonel Markus Reisner of the General Staff of Austria in an interview with Ukrinform.
"And this is crucial if we remember that in the history of military affairs we have more than once experienced events that have been compared to revolutions.
There are debates now whether we are experiencing an evolution in the conduct of military operations or a revolution?
I am convinced that we are experiencing a real revolution because these systems are now having a significant impact on the way war is waged," said the Austrian army colonel.
According to him, it is noticeable that the Ukrainian armed forces have learned a lot in a short period of time compared to the Western armies, which are watching these events with surprise.
He emphasized that the Western armed forces "have not yet made any conclusions that will manifest themselves in structural changes or purchases for their own needs".
"If you look at the struggle of the Ukrainian armed forces in the last seven stages, as I presented them, they have already written military history with their achievements.
This should be clearly discussed. First of all, of course, thanks to proper preparations for a possible conflict, when Ukraine always said that the Russians would try again, even though the West said: no, no, you are very wrong.
But there was a deep conviction that Russia would not rest, and that after seizing Crimea and invading eastern Ukraine, it would return for more territories. And that really happened," emphasized Reisner.
The military man emphasized that Ukraine has managed to transform its army.
"...And you know what the state of the VSU was before 2014 - for a very short period of time and prepared them to fight against an enemy superior to them. Moreover, what was delivered to Ukraine was often "hole patching".
There were great political discussions about when to provide this or that equipment, in what volumes, etc. And these delays repeatedly resulted in Ukraine not receiving what could be of crucial practical importance when it most needed it," the colonel noted.
As an example, Reisner pointed to last year's summer offensive, which many had hoped for, but according to him, Ukraine lost months because of the political decision-making process on arms supplies.
"There were also additional factors, such as the leak of information through Discord, when an American soldier posted information that actually gave Russia a complete picture of the situation. And all this led to the fact that when the offensive began, the Ukrainian troops actually fell right into the trap of the Russians," concludes the military officer.