Western generals and military analysts praise Ukrainian Armed Forces: 7 Quotes for Day of Defenders October 1, 2023

In the 19 months of Russia's war on Ukraine, prominent Western generals and military experts have repeatedly acknowledged the remarkable performance of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the face of complex combat operations.

For the Day of Defenders, NV recalls several quotes that reflect the respect and admiration for all those who defend Ukraine.

1.  "In my view, the Ukrainians are probably the best army in the world at the moment. It's not even probably; they are the best army in the world. They are the most experienced at modern warfare, they have demonstrated that over the past months. We can all learn a lot from them."
   

2.  "The way Ukraine has conducted this counteroffensive [since the summer of 2023] is very impressive. The Ukrainians have adapted very well. They changed their actions as soon as they understood the complexity and difficulties of these defensive structures [in the south]. They are making progress. Slowly, of course, but it is significant progress. So I get excited again when I see what the Ukrainians have done. They are constantly innovating, adapting, and learning. I recently wrote an article in response to these pessimistic reports [about the pace of Ukrainian progress] and said, 'Stop criticizing and do everything you can to help the Ukrainians succeed.
   

US military leader, former CIA Director, former commander of international coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, and former head of the United States Central Command, retired U.S. four-star general David Petraeus, in an interview with NV, Sept. 2023.

3.  "They [Ukrainian Armed Forces] have had to take risks and experiment with things they might not know work or not, and they have become a battle lab for their own forces, and that showed us the way. I regret the circumstances that it had to happen, but it has shown the way about how things have to be done in the 21st Century in a new battlefield."
   

Former UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace in an interview with Sky News during his tenure, July 2023.

4.  "This is a David and Goliath battle [...], and Ukraine has displayed incredible ingenuity, and Russia is on the back foot. It's lost nearly 300,000 people killed and wounded, and it's lost thousands of tanks. The idea that this war is somehow neat and tidy, and you can predict it and plan it to the ninth degree is nonsense."
   

The UK’s Chief of the Defense Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, in a speech at the Defense and Security Equipment 2023 event in Sept. 2023.

5.  “Ukraine fought back with determination and smarts against Russia, halting Moscow’s advances and then driving Russian troops back from roughly half of the territory they seized in the last year and a half. As a result, Ukraine’s military looks far more powerful and Russia’s looks far weaker than virtually everyone expected.”
   

Chair of Strategic Studies and Head of the School of International Relations at the University of St. Andrews, Phillips O’Brien, for Foreign Affairs in July 2023.

6.  “During each training rotation, brigades are usually given six combat missions of different types. For each ‘battle,’ planning takes several hours, the preparation of forces and rehearsals require additional time, and then the battles themselves are played out over a maneuver area slightly larger than Rhode Island. The very toughest of these missions is a deliberate attack against a defending enemy — the same kind of operation the Ukrainians have been conducting in an actual war for months. […] The great military theoretician Carl von Clausewitz once wrote that everything in war is simple, but the simplest things are difficult. Millions of military practitioners who have combat experience would agree, and most pundits who have not been on a battlefield rarely understand the implications of other factors of warfare: new equipment, conducting a difficult mission for the first time, green (inexperienced — ed.) troops, weather […] It should come as no surprise that Ukraine’s army, after being given a significant amount of new, Western equipment and having a relatively short time to train at European bases, may not be executing the rapid, Desert Storm-like offensive many expected. Especially given that offensive is directed against a significantly entrenched Russian force. […] But I remain convinced that the Ukrainian Army will continue to learn during the execution of their large offensive operation in Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and the Donbas. Patience, understanding of the dynamics of war, and continued support will remain critical to the completion of this mission.”
   

Former commander of US Army Europe, Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) in a column for The Bulwark in Aug. 2023.

7.  “This war is being fought by two very different militaries using very different strategies […] Ukraine’s military [at the start of full-scale war] had the doctrine, leadership, training, culture, and morale necessary to effectively employ combined arms maneuver at scale. While combined arms maneuvers are important for any environment, it is especially important in cities. Urban warfare is the ultimate test of combined arms maneuvers. The side that can better integrate artillery, armor, infantry, engineers, and intelligence has an advantage. The history of urban warfare consistently proves this to be a fundamental reality. Over twelve months of war, Ukrainian forces have simply been better at conducting combined arms maneuvers than their Russian counterparts.”
   

The Modern War Institute, US Military Academy (West Point) researchers John Spencer and Liam Collins, authors of a report on the results of the first year of war in Feb. 2023.