There is an old saying: soldiers win battles, logistics wins wars. A while back I posted about the U.S. Navy’s Task Force 30.8. It was a sea-going “conveyer belt” that connected U.S. industrial might and capacity to the Army-Navy-Marine Corp forces in the Pacific during World War II. The movement of U.S. industry from the depression era to military industrial behemoth is a fascinating story. If you are interested in such things, I can recommend two books: Maruy Klein’s magisterial work,“A Call to Arms: Mobilizing America for World War II” and the much shorter “Freedom’s Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II” by Arthur Herman…. If you are interested in such things. Big picture: the U.S. demonstrated that industrial capacity could decide wars. Detroit, Pittsburgh, and American shipyards became strategic weapons in themselves.
Ukraine is demonstrating something different: innovation capacity, that is, the ability to learn, redesign, manufacture, and field improvements faster than an adversary. In the 21st century that may be just as decisive as industrial capacity. Europe’s growing partnerships with Ukrainian firms suggest that many governments have reached the same conclusion.
In 2022 at the start of the war with Russia, the U.S. and Europe provided critical weapons and aid. Western military assistance focused primarily on helping the country survive Russia’s invasion. Supporting countries supplied thousands of anti-tank weapons such as Javelin and NLAW missiles, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, artillery systems including the M777 howitzer, ammunition, armored vehicles, counter-battery radars, secure communications equipment, intelligence support, medical supplies, and humanitarian assistance. The character of aid in 2022 was defensive, incremental, and cautious. In time offensive weapons were supplied: advanced air defenses, tanks, long-range strike capabilities, F-16 fighters, HIMARS rocket launchers and various air-defense systems. Ukraine was often required to come “hat in hand” to Western nations for supply and resupply. The images of the U.S. leadership famously berating Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a contentious Oval Office (February 28, 2025) are an extreme example of the dynamic. What the White House did not realize was the change was already afoot.
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