INNOVATION IN MODERN WARFARE

6 February 2025

Purpose of this Article

The purpose of this article is to provide an in-depth look at supply chain logistics in the context of military operations, specifically focusing on the battlefield in Ukraine.

It is part two - Part one described the American side of the organisation - the DoD, Pentagon and CIA - into which Ukraine's supply chain integrates.

It explains how new technologies are developed, tested, and integrated into the supply chain by design bureaux, which are specialised research and development organisations. The article also discusses the role of the CIA and the Pentagon in Ukraine's military logistics and how NATO's processes are integrated into Ukraine's innovation pipeline. 

The overall aim here is to highlight the importance of logistics in modern warfare and how it is reshaping battlefield tactics.

Supply Chain Logistics to the Front Line in Ukraine

This is a nerdy, waffly, and for most people, a sleep-inducing video, but don’t let that put you off as it’s actually an accurate and insightful look at how a design bureau develops new technologies and integrates them into the supply chain.

A design bureau is a specialised research and development organisation that creates, tests, and improves new technologies, mostly in the aerospace, military, or industrial engineering sectors, before they are deployedfor mass-production, and then continuously improved upon.

Frame of Reference for this Article

The frame of reference here is supply chain logistics, specifically on the battlefield. 

This is not about battlefield tactics - that’s a different subject entirely – it’s about getting equipment onto the battlefield for use by the military, aswhere “tactics” is about how the supplied material is used.

The video explains a systematic process of innovation in military logistics. The basic method is widely used in product development:

1. Incubators—small, specialised research teams—are given difficult challenges to solve. For example, “develop a drone navigation system that cannot be jammed by the enemy”, “improve fuel consumption by 15%”....

2. They conduct scientific research, use the findings to develop new technologies, and test prototypes or "MPVs" in real-world conditions.

3. Once a solution is proven effective, it is deployed into the supply chain, meaning it is scaled up and made widely available.

4. Feedback is constantly gathered, and the process is refined and improved over time in a process of “continuous improvement”.

"Minimum Viable Product" (MVP).

An MVP is a basic but functional version of a product or technology that is developed quickly, from basic requirements contained in a SoW Statement of Work, in order to test its core features in real-world conditions. 

The purpose of an MVP is to gather feedback, refine the design, and improve the economics, efficiency and effectiveness ("The Three E's") of the process, before deployment in full-scale production.

In the context of design bureaux and military logistics, an MVP could be an early version of a drone, missile system, or some AI-driven targeting software - something good enough to test but not yet finalised.

The video presents this well - although the delivery is a bit choppy, and the presenter mixes in ads for high-caffeine bubble gum (gotta make a living), still, the core idea is solid: a constant cycle of systematic innovation, deployment, and back to the bureau for improvement.

Why This Matters: The CIA, Pentagon, and Ukraine’s Supply Chain

This brings us to the role of the CIA and Pentagon in Ukraine’s military logistics. Some people suggest that the U.S. is directly helping Ukraine improve its battlefield logistics—this video gives us a way to understand how that actually works in practise, in the daily operations of the Pentagon and CIA.

1. NATO’s Integration of Ukraine’s Supply Chain

• The Pentagon and CIA supply expertise, training specialists in “train the trainer” role to improve Ukraine’s logistics at every level.

• This is a highly detailed process, similar to the work of companies like Bureau Veritas or Intertek, or processes like Six Sigma, in the corporate world - constantly improving efficiency to make production faster - better - cheaper.

• When Professor Mearsheimer talks about making Ukraine a “de facto member of  NATO”, this is what it means: Ukraine’s entire innovation pipeline, from R&D to battlefield deployment, is now deeply integrated into NATO's processes, organisation and funding. It is quite extraordinary the effect of that decision taken by NATO, under strong American prodding, in Bucharest back in 2008.

2. Why Can’t Russia Just Bomb These Drone Factories?

• Q; If Ukraine is churning out drones in huge quantities, why can’t Russia simply bomb the factories? A: Because there are no mass-production factories.

• The specific area of logistics we are discussing is drone manufacturing, but drone manufacturing not a centralised industrial process.

• Instead, it’s a distributed process, a high-tech but cottage-based industry:

o American Intertek or French Bureau Veritas supply Six Sigma-trained specialists to train Ukrainian trainers.

o The Ukrainian trainers then spread their knowledge to numerous small workshops - people literally building drones in their garages for their friends on the front lines.

o These drones, often made from cheap Chinese civilian imports, are turned into lethal battlefield weapons.

The Bottom Line

This isn’t traditional warfare where you hit a big industrial complex and cripple the enemy’s supply. 

It’s distributed, decentralised, and constantly evolving. It’s a system that NATO logistics experts have refined to the point where Ukraine is now fully integrated into NATO.

So that’s the real story here: how NATO is providing Ukraine with logistics to reshape modern warfare.

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, PENTAGON AND CIA

6 February 2025

READ ME FIRST

We are going to look at innovation in the supply chains that deliver equipment to the battlefields in Ukraine and how ukraine is in practice fully integrated into NATO. But first, we need to understand the difference between the Department of Defence, the Pentagon and the CIA.

Note on Organisational Responsibilities

The Pentagon is primarily responsible for overseeing Ukraine's battlefield supply chain logistics. There is a work programme called the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), under which the Department of Defense (DoD) provides training, equipment, and advisory support to enhance Ukraine's defense capabilities.

Additionally, the Army Materiel Command (AMC) has been delivering substantial military aid to Ukraine, for the efficient management of logistics and supply chains.

While the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) may offer intelligence support, the coordination and management of battlefield logistics falls under the DoD's jurisdiction.

The Department of Defense (DoD) and the Pentagon are closely related, but they are not the same thing:

1. The Department of Defense (DoD) is the governmental institution responsible for overseeing the U.S. military, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, and various intelligence and logistical agencies. It is headed by the Secretary of Defense, who reports directly to the President.

2. The Pentagon is the physical headquarters of the DoD, located in Arlington, Virginia. It is also commonly used as a metonym (a word that represents something larger) for the DoD itself. When people say “the Pentagon made a decision,” they usually mean that the Department of Defense, as an institution, made the decision.

How Does the CIA Fit Into This?

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) plays a different but complementary role to the Department of Defense (DoD) in Ukraine and other military conflicts. While the Pentagon (DoD) is responsible for battlefield logistics, military strategy, and direct support, the CIA operates in the realm of covert intelligence, special operations, and foreign influence.

The CIA’s Mission in Relation to Ukraine’s War Effort

The CIA’s overall mission is to:

1. Gather and analyse intelligence on foreign threats.

2. Conduct covert operations to support U.S. strategic objectives.

3. Influence foreign affairs through supposedly non-military means.

In Ukraine, the CIA is involved in:

1. Provide real-time intelligence on Russian troop movements, intercepted communications, and battlefield conditions.

2. Train Ukrainian special forces and intelligence operatives in sabotage, counterintelligence, and irregular warfare.

3. Coordinate drone and cyber warfare programs, ensuring Ukraine has advanced targeting intelligence to strike Russian positions.

4. Run covert logistics networks to help move weapons, equipment, and foreign fighters into Ukraine.

5. Advise on psychological operations (PsyOps) to counter Russian propaganda and maintain Western support.

How the CIA and the Pentagon Work Together

The CIA and the Pentagon (DoD) often collaborate but they do have distinct roles:

1. The Pentagon handles large-scale military operations and logistics.

2. The CIA focuses on intelligence gathering, covert missions, and asymmetric warfare.

For example, the Pentagon might supply Ukraine with HIMARS missiles, while the CIA provides real-time intelligence on Russian troop movements.

The CIA also operates in deniable or unofficial capacities, such as supporting partisan resistance movements in occupied Ukrainian territories, training Ukrainian intelligence services, and running covert drone warfare programs.

In Summary:

1. The DoD is the organisation.

2. The Pentagon is the building where the DoD operates and a shorthand way of referring to it.

3. The DoD (Pentagon) manages battlefield logistics, troop training, and weapons deliveries.

4. The CIA provides intelligence, covert training, special operations, and sabotage efforts behind enemy lines.

Both work together in an attempt to give Ukraine strategic, technological and intelligence superiority over Russia.

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