Russia’s year-old war in Ukraine has returned conventional conict to
Europe at a scale not seen since World War II. This Spotlight analyzes the
war across four lenses relevant to transforming the U.S. Army for large-
scale combat operations (LSCO)—joint combined arms warfare, strate-
gic responsiveness, materiel modernization and operations—and provides
implications pertinent to the Army, the joint force and Congress—as well as
to allies and partners (Figure 1).
The Russia-Ukraine War
One Year In
Implications for the U.S. Army
MARCH 2023
SPOTLIGHT 23-1
PUBLISHED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY
ISSUE
At its one-year mark, the Russia-Ukraine
war provides insights regarding selected
characteristics of warfare and the
trajectory of U.S. Army and joint force
transformation for large-scale combat
operations.
SPOTLIGHT SCOPE
Provides land warfare implications
impacting the U.S. Army, the joint force
and Congress—as well as allies and
partners—based on observations from
the conict.
INSIGHTS
• The ascendency of res, enabled by
pervasive surveillance, underscores
the imperative of the Army’s long-
range precision res and layered air
and missile defense modernization.
• Large, resilient stockpiles of prepo-
sitioned precision and conventional
munitions are integral to U.S. strategic
responsiveness.
• The Army’s Multi-Domain Task Forces
appear well-suited to the battleeld
characteristics on display in Ukraine.
• The Army requires 3–5 percent an-
nual budgetary growth to transform
land warfare capabilities on pace with
other warghting domains.
www.ausa.org
by Charles McEnany & COL Daniel S. Roper, USA, Ret.
Figure 1
Spotlight Implications Summary
JOINT COMBINED ARMS WARFARE
• Robustly fund the Army to deliver complementary joint force capabilities.
• Structure and train the Army (and the joint force) for large-scale combat
operations.
STRATEGIC RESPONSIVENESS
• Bolster Army endstrength to deliver combat credibility with the capacity to
sustain the joint force.
• Co-develop, stockpile and preposition precision and conventional munitions
at scale.
• Prepare for contested logistics in the Indo-Pacic.
MATERIEL MODERNIZATION
• Field Army long-range precision res to provide the joint force with multiple
options to enhance U.S. deterrence and multi-domain capabilities.
• Ensure networked and layered air and missile defense to improve joint force
survivability.
OPERATIONS
• Expand security force assistance efforts in strategic competition.
• Stand up two additional planned Multi-Domain Task Forces (MDTFs).
• Empower and strategically position MDTFs to maximize counter-anti-access/
area-denial potential.
