Ukraine Can Point the Pentagon Toward a New Way of War

The Ukraine conflict shows that the U.S. needs to adapt to the realities of war in the 21st century. Perhaps the best place to begin is developing unconventional military partners.

To be sure, the war also shows the value of America’s traditional alliances. Since February 2022, our joint civilian-military research team has studied Western efforts to provide military training to Ukrainian troops. Many trainers with experience in Iraq and Afghanistan told us that Ukrainian troops are much more motivated and proficient than Iraqi and Afghan soldiers were. The relationship is also mutually beneficial: American forces are learning from Ukrainian soldiers’ engagement with a near-peer adversary—something the U.S. hasn’t encountered since the Korean war.