Ukraine’s ability to adapt becomes important lesson for NATO, says alliance admiral

Admiral Pierre Vandier, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, said this in an interview with Ukrinform.

“Because we think in NATO that it's the DNA of adaptation, which is one of the strongest lessons from Ukraine, a constant adaptation of the fight,” Vandier emphasized.

He explained that the first consequence of the war in Ukraine was a rethinking of training approaches.

“We inherit a very, I would say, conventional training. And we've seen, given the speed of evolution of the battlefield, we not only need to qualify the troops, but we need to train them to adapt,” he explained.

Vandier explained that last year, the alliance launched a new program for all NATO members called "Audacious Training", in which part of the training takes place without a predetermined scenario.

“It's using red team and unscripted actions of the red team, just as the enemy, to stress the blue and make them replan and adapt,” NATO’s supreme allied commander stated.

The admiral noted that Ukrainian military specialists were involved to reinforce the “red team” and create realistic challenges during NATO exercises.

“And so today, a part of the success of Audacious Training is the Ukrainian success,” Vandier underlined.

While not commenting on the specifics of the exercises involving Ukrainian unmanned boats, he indirectly acknowledged that Ukrainian military personnel achieved impressive results.

As reported by Ukrinform, for the first time in NATO history, the Ukrainian Navy led and coordinated the planning and command of the opposing forces (OPFOR) during the REPMUS/Dynamic Messenger 25 exercises held in Portugal.

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