Infantry, Not Autonomy

Why the Future of Warfare Still Depends on Humans at the Edge

The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 marked the largest land conflict in Europe since the Second World War. As Russian forces surged across the border, many Western analysts predicted a short, high-intensity campaign defined by conventional force-on-force dynamics, driven by superior Russian mass and firepower.

However, what unfolded was an operational and strategic surprise: Russia’s initial momentum was stalled, then reversed, by a highly decentralised Ukrainian defence grounded in light infantry manoeuvre, terrain exploitation, and shoulder-launched anti-armour weapons.

This early phase of the war reaffirmed what decades of counterinsurgency and high-tech procurement cycles had often neglected: infantry, when enabled and empowered, remain decisive.

Yet as the conflict evolved, so too did the character of war.

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https://ambient-stratagem.ghost.io/content/files/2025/06/Infantry-Not-Autonomy-1.pdf