Nowadays, the forces deployed in the field are not only composed of people but also of artificial intelligence (AI) systems that take the conflict to the next technological level. Robots and especially drones have played a central role in Ukraine’s defence against the ongoing Russian attack.
On 13 July, the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs informed the Munich-based arms industry company Kraus-Maffei Wegmann that it is licensed to produce 100 self-propelled howitzers for the Ukraine. A company spokesperson confirmed the approval on 27 July to Der Spiegel. The howitzers are of the type Panzerhaubitze 2000 (PzH 2000) and, when signed, the deal is expected to cost €1.7 billion. Since the agreement concerns freshly produced PzH 2000s and not a donation from the existing Bundeswehr inventory, the delivery could take several years. Germany has currently handed over ten howitzers to the Ukraine from its ranks. This brings the total of PzH 2000s in Ukrainian service to 23, following similar Dutch and Italian deliveries.
Since the Federation of Russia started its aggression against Ukraine, the West and EU Member States multiplied conventional arms exports toward the continent to reinforce the Ukrainian Army’s capacities on the ground to face what appears to be the second most equipped conventional army in the world (Small arms survey, 2021).
The Secretary-general of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, announced on 27 June that the Alliance is going to increase the capabilities of its rapid reaction force (NRF) by nearly eight times. The troops dedicated to this unit are going from 40.000 to 300.000, and their characteristic is, as the name suggests, that they can deploy quickly when needed.
The European Union (EU) is mobilising a team of specialists, the Cyber Rapid Response Team (CRRT), to back up Ukrainian cybersecurity efforts during the current conflict. As the country is fighting on many fronts, this measure intends to strengthen the Ukrainian response to cyber-attacks by employing European expertise and capabilities.
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