Back in the Trenches

Why New Technology Hasn’t Revolutionized Warfare in Ukraine

By Stephen Biddle

After four months of a Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russia, the frontlines of the war in Ukraine have not changed dramatically. This is partly because Russia has built complex layers of defenses to hold back Ukrainian troops. These include minefields, trenches, and other fortifications across hundreds of miles. The fighting is more reminiscent of World War I than what you might expect in 2023.

In an essay earlier this year, Stephen Biddle, a military expert and professor of international relations at Columbia University, explored why cutting-edge weapons have failed to revolutionize the fighting in Ukraine. “In Ukraine, as in the past, when skilled attackers have struck shallow, ill-prepared defenses that have inadequate reserves or logistical support, they have broken through,” he wrote. “But in Ukraine, as in the past, when this combination has been absent, the result has usually been stalemate.” The reason for this has less to do with new, advanced weapons, according to Biddle, than “long-standing trends and relationships between technology and human adaptation.”