Drones, smart munitions and cyberspace : 21st century defence of Ukraine & implications for Australia

Mark Twain famously said that history doesn’t repeat, but it rhymes. And in the late summer of 1943, the largest tank battle
in history took place on the plains of Eastern Europe, east of Kyiv, at a place called Kursk. The Soviet counter attack against
the German invading force was ultimately successful. And to this day is regarded as the largest tank battle in history.

It’s likely that this (northern) summer will echo with tank battles in the same area, and it’s through this lens that we need to understand the imminent decisions that people like Olaf Scholz are making as the Chancellor of Germany about the trepidation he feels as a leader of a country, deeply scarred, by providing German tanks that rumble across the plains of Europe as he makes decisions about whether to contribute those tanks to the ultimate liberation of Ukraine. We’re 12 months into a land war, and there are numerous things that we are
learning about the impact of technology on the war, and, sadly, one of the things we’re also learning is that a whole lot has
not changed.

So, what are we seeing? It’s important we talk a little about the impact of technology on the war, but I think it’s also important we spend some time on the origin to the conflict. Andrew and I are very conscious of the experience and wisdom in this audience