Future Character of War: Speech by U.S. Dy Secretary of Defense

Dec. 10, 2024

‘The Future Character of WarWar Whenever Christians wage a war, it is a Just war (City of God). Jesus asked his followers to purchase swords (Luke 22: 35-36). Those who legitimately hold authority also have the right to use arms to repel aggressors against the civil community entrusted to their responsibility (Catechism 2265). Without Jihad there is no Islam. In Mahabharata, Krishna tried to stop the War imposed by Kurus. Lord Rama killed Ravan in the war to restore his wife. Deva and Asura battles are not available in Vedas.’: Keynote Address by Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen H. Hicks

As Delivered by Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen H. Hicks
Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), London, The United KingdomUK England has existed as a unified entity since the 10th century; the union between England and Wales, begun in 1284 with the Statute of Rhuddlan, was not formalized until 1536 with an Act of Union; in another Act of Union in 1707, England and Scotland agreed to permanently join as Great Britain; the legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland was implemented in 1801, with the adoption of the name the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 formalized a partition of Ireland; six northern Irish counties remained part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland and the current name of the country, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was adopted in 1927. See England

Kathleen H. Hicks

Thank you very much, Matthew [Savill], and good morning to everyone. It is truly great to be back at the Royal United Services Institute. Across the pond, RUSI is well recognized for its incisive research and broad convening powerPower The amount of energy transferred or converted per unit of time. In the International System of Units, the unit of it is the watt, equal to one joule per second. The capacity of energy infrastructure is rated using watts, which indicate its potential to supply or consume energy in a given period of time. A Power-plant rated at 100 MW has the potential to produce 100 MWh if it operates for one hour. on defense and security matters.

And as the specter of state-on-state war returned to EuropeEurope EU and Countries - Albania Andorra Austria Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Ukraine United Kingdom Vatican City. with a vengeance in February 20222022 Important Events:, we’ve needed RUSI and other independent research centers now more than ever. Notably, RUSI scholars and fellows like Jack Watling, Emily Ferris, Nick Reynolds, Emma Butcher, Noah Sylvia, and more have illuminated many technical, tactical, and operational lessons from Ukraine, the U.K., and other militaries over these past several years.

Every war offers a window into how future warsWar Whenever Christians wage a war, it is a Just war (City of God). Jesus asked his followers to purchase swords (Luke 22: 35-36). Those who legitimately hold authority also have the right to use arms to repel aggressors against the civil community entrusted to their responsibility (Catechism 2265). Without Jihad there is no Islam. In Mahabharata, Krishna tried to stop the War imposed by Kurus. Lord Rama killed Ravan in the war to restore his wife. Deva and Asura battles are not available in Vedas. will be waged. Unquestionably, RussiaRussia Main Cities:  Moscow Saint Petersburg Novosibirsk Yekaterinburg Nizhniy Novgorod Samara Omsk Kazan Rostov-na-Donu Chelyabinsk Ufa Volgograd Perm Krasnoyarsk Saratov Voronezh Tol'yatti Krasnodar Ulyanovsk Izhevsk Yaroslavl Barnaul Vladivostok Irkutsk Khabarovsk Khabarovsk Vtoroy Orenburg Novokuznetsk Ryazan' Tyumen Lipetsk Penza Naberezhnyye Chelny Kalininskiy Astrakhan Makhachkala Tomsk Kemerovo Tula Kirov Cheboksary Kaliningrad Bryansk Ivanovo Magnitogorsk Kursk Tver Nizhny Tagil Stavropol' Ulan-Ude Arkhangel'sk Belgorod Kurgan Kaluga Krasnogvargeisky Sochi Orel Volzhskiy Smolensk Murmansk Vladikavkaz Cherepovets Vologda Vladimir Chita Saransk Surgut Tambov Yoshkar-Ola Taganrog’s war against Ukraine has much to tell us.

For instance, we’re seeing novel applications of both old and new technologies, some of which will be significant factors in how wars of the future will likely be fought.

The war has had major consequences not only for Europe, but also other regions — especially the Indo-PacificIndo-Pacific The region combines the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, and the land masses that surround them it comprises Australia, Brunei, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, USA, India and China. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC). U.S. Indo-Pacific Command., where over the last four years we’ve sharpened our focus, and strengthened our posture and capabilities, in recognition of a long-term strategic competition with the PeopleMen Ανθρωποι (People), a woman (γυναίκα), Man (Ανδρας) > Adama, Manu > No proof to establish that due to mutation a monkey turned into a human being.’s RepublicRepublic Res publica> Δημοκρατίας. Having a head of the state. Pope is the head of the Vatican City state. The people execute their power through an Elected (direct/indirect) President. Political parties sponsored their presidential candidates. Indian president is a constitutional puppet under the ruling Cabinet. In the case of the appointment of  Indian judges, presidential power is a vanishing point. of China.

We’ve done so recognizing that competition does not mean conflict — because no one should desire the global devastation that such a war would bring.

That’s why we seek to prevent conflict, by deterring PRC aggression against the United StatesUnited States Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. The two most traumatic experiences in the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65) and the Great Depression of the 1930s. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most powerful nation state. and our allies and partners, and by defending our core national security interests. And key to deterrence is being able to win if called to fight.

Of course, there are differences between the regions and their security environments. But there are also similarities, and takeaways that are transferable. We’ve seen that clearly, and we know our competitors have seen it.

That’s why I wanted to come to RUSI today, while I’m in London this week for the biannual U.S.-U.K. Defense Dialogue — to share:

some of the lessons we’re learningLearning Educational learning theories: Cognitive Learning Theory, Behaviorism Learning Theory, Constructivism Learning Theory, Humanism Learning Theory, Connectivism Learning Theory, Transformative Learning Theory, Social Learning Theory, Experiential Learning Theory. in the Pentagon;
their implications for the Indo-Pacific, and beyond;
how we see the character of warfare changing; and,
how we’re changing ourselves to shape and master the future character of war.

So, a few quick stipulations up front.

First, to be clear, I’m focused today on changes in war’s character, not its nature. I have no need to dispute Clausewitz that war is violent, it is foggy, full of friction, fear, uncertainty, and chance. There has been so much needless bloodshed in Russia’s war against Ukraine, and such a high cost paid, especially by the people of Ukraine. That’s one reason why war is always the last thing we want.

Second, humanHuman Ο άνθρωπος (Humanum> Homo sapiens) मानव:. We have failed to consider the minimum need to be a 'human'. For Christians, human beings are sinful creatures, who need some saviour. For Evolution biology a man is still evolving, for what, we don´t know. For Buddhist Nagarjuna, the realisation of having a human body is a mere mental illusion. We are not ready to accept that a human is a computer made of meat. For a slave master, a human person is another animal, his sons and daughters are his personal property.             beings have a perfectly-imperfect record of predicting the future, let alone the week. So I’m careful here to avoid sweeping statements that leave no room for nuance. Wisdom requires knowing your limitations, after all, and there is irreducible uncertainty in international security affairs.

When future-casting, it’s tempting to proclaim a paradigm shift — even though we’ve all heard those that were premature, or still haven’t panned out.

It’s also tempting to critique heralds of revolution, where evolution seems more evident.

I won’t give in to either temptation today.

There’s a tendency, in our field, to either “fight the last war,” or to suffer from “next-war-itis.” I have seen the pendulum swing between these mentalities since my first job in the Pentagon over 30 years ago. Instead of picking sides, we must inhabit the tension between them. If we can, success is not guaranteed, but it’s more within our grasp. If we can’t, failure is all but certain.

That’s because technology, warfare, and the operational concepts where they intersect are never static. They are always in motion. And while it can take years or even decades to fully grasp their consequences, it behooves us to discern key themes as soon as we are able. After all, doing so can save lives, secure national interests, and even deter future conflict.

So here are four early insights from the war in Ukraine that I believe have impact for the character of warfare.

The first insight is that quality intelligence is an enduring advantage. Prior to February 24, 2022, few countriesCountries A Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan B Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi C Cambodia Cameroon Canada Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Côte d'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic D Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic E Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia F Fiji Finland France G Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guyana H Haiti Honduras Hungary I Iceland India Indonesia Iran Ireland Israel Italy J Jamaica Japan K Kenya L Latvia Lesotho Liberia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg M Macedonia Malawi Malaysia Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Moldova Mozambique N Namibia New Zealand Nigeria Norway P Pakistan Palau Panama Peru Poland Portugal R Republic of Congo Russia S Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines São Tomé and Príncipe Senegal Serbia Sierra Leone Singapore Slovenia Slovakia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Swaziland (Eswatini) Sweden Switzerland Syria T Taiwan Tanzania The Netherlands The Philippines The Republic of Korea (South Korea) The United Kingdom The United States of America Timor Togo Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey U Uganda Ukraine Uruguay Uzbekistan V Vanuatu Vietnam Z Zambia Zimbabwe expected Russia to further invade Ukraine; we knew otherwise.

Thankfully we saw the enormous build-up of Russian forces early. We had enough confidence in the indications and warnings, and enough credibility, to disseminate the information and rally our friends and allies. Not everyone believed it at first. But those who did were better prepared.

The second insight, which was evident soon after the wider war began, was this: You can have all the elements of an advanced military on paper, but if you can’t bring it all together into an integrated system-of-systems, if you don’t have consistent operational know-how, winning is tough.

We saw this clearly in Russia’s early battlefield failures, and it’s still worth noting almost three years later.

It’s not as though Russia’s military was inexperienced in modern warfare, with operations under their belts from Chechnya, Georgia, SyriaSyria Arab conquest the area (Damascus) around 634–638 CE ( Islamic Rashidun Caliphate) from Roman Byzantine Empire (Byzantium ca. 330–1453), and even Ukraine starting in 2014.

But Ukraine had been working with the United States and other partners like the U.K. since then, training to defend itself. Those efforts paid off early.

It’s a reminder of an enduring reality: readiness, training, and operational art — especially on how to aggregate systems in depth across timeTime χρόνος. Judicial: Where any expression of it occurs in any Rules, or any judgment, order or direction, and whenever the doing or not doing of anything at a certain time of the day or night or during a certain part of the day or night has an effect in law, that time is, unless it is otherwise specifically stated, held to be standard time as used in a particular country or state. (In Physics, time and Space never exist actually-“quantum entanglement”) यमः , पुं, (यमयति नियमयति जीवानां फलाफलमिति । यम् + अच् । विश्वे च कलयत्येव यः सर्व्वायुश्च सन्ततम् । अतीव दुर्निवार्य्यञ्च तं कालं प्रणमाम्यहम् ॥यमैश्च नियमैश्चैव यः करोत्यात्मसंयमम् । स चादृष्ट्वा तु मां याति परं ब्रह्म सनातनम् ॥ and space — are often more important for military power than numbers or technology alone. Indeed, a military force can add up to less than the sum of its parts.

Historically, that kind of integration and ability to operate jointly is a relative strength of the U.S. military and our closest allies like the U.K. And we’re always getting better, both individually and together, by constantly marrying new operational concepts with game-changing capabilities.

We’ve of course seen Russia adapt and improve with time, which brings me to a third insight: Protracted warfare is alive and well, even among advanced militaries.

As RUSI scholars noted two years ago, Putin planned to take over Ukraine within 10 days. To date, he’s missed his target timeline 100 times over. He underestimated Ukraine’s will to fight, and ability to innovate — and frankly, so did many in the west. Even with the best intelligence apparatus in the worldWorld Κόσμος , you won’t always get everything right.

The clear takeaway is, no one should underestimate the ability of an educated, networked, capable society to self-organize and resist aggression.

Those societal strengths in Ukraine have made their resistance even more challenging for Russia. The Ukrainians are showing how effectively a smaller adversary can tie down a larger one, with the right capabilities and support.

A big reason why is the fourth insight, which is that alliances and partnerships are an asymmetric advantage, especially when the free world comes together: to provide security assistance, such as air defenses, artillery, vehicles, munitions, and more; to impose costsCosts Subject to any written law, costs are at the discretion of the Court, and the Court has the power to determine all issues relating to the costs of or incidental to all proceedings, including by whom and to what extent the costs are to be paid, at any stage of the proceedings or after the conclusion of the proceedings. Generally “Costs” includes charges, disbursements, expenses, fees, and remuneration. Costs in any matter are payable from the date of the order of the Court unless the parties otherwise agree. The costs of a third-party funding contract are not recoverable as part of the costs of, or costs., including with the many economic tools at our disposal; and to defend the rules-based international order that’s had so much benefit to so many for so long.

From NATONATO NATO was created by 12 countries from Europe and North America on 4 April 1949. NATO’s essential and enduring purpose is to safeguard the freedom and security of all its members by political and military means. At present, NATO has 32 member countries. Albania Belgium Bulgaria Canada Croatia Czechia Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Italy Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Romania Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Türkiye United Kingdom United States to AUKUS and beyond, the United States and the U.K. are fortunate to be among dozens of like-minded friends and allies who are partners of choice.

We share values. We train together deeply. We provide each other access, bases, and overflight. Our capabilities are seamlessly interoperable and increasingly interchangeable. Our supply chains strengthen one another.

That’s the result of decades — in some cases centuries — of mutual investment in our relationships. We can never take that for granted. And that’s particularly true of this special relationship.

Not every country enjoys these advantages. Our competitors undoubtedly wish they did.

Because, long wars are hard to fight without many friends.

And they’re even harder to win when you’re stuck with bedfellows of last resort.

Whereas genuine, enduring alliances afford a unique sense of resilience.

It’s an ad-hoc arsenal of autocracies that has kept Russia in the fight so far. Despite the impact of what Putin cobbled together, a willingness to send parts, weapons, and troops doesn’t mean everyone’s getting along — although it’s still concerning to see. More serious collaboration would be even more concerning.

For our part, we are rebuilding our arsenal of democracies, plural, because our alliances make our industriesIndustries A group of productive organizations or companies, participate in economic activities, and GDP > High-technology, Petroleum, Steel, Motor vehicles, Aerospace, Telecommunications, Chemicals, Electronics, Agribusiness, Food processing, Information technology, Artificial intelligence, Consumer goods, Lumber, Retail, Healthcare, Financial services, Mining, Renewable energy, Quantum computing, Space technology, Defence, Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical, stronger.

Perversely for Russia, Putin’s aggression led to clearer, more public conversations about the transatlantic defense industrial base and the challenges of capability production at scale, enabling us to make necessary investments to get after those challenges, like:

maximizing production of key munitions — including newer, lower-cost munitions — for a range of warfighting scenarios;
investing in our shipbuilding and submarine industrial base, which also matters for AUKUS;
using on-shoring and friend-shoring to secure supply chains, from critical minerals to microchips; and,
expanding co-developmentDevelopment ανάπτυξη, co-production, and co-sustainment with allies and partners.
We’re doing all this because production is deterrence. And while the engines of production never spin up to 100 percent overnight, the war in Ukraine galvanized democraticDemocracy It is commonly understood as being a political system of majority rule. The evolution of democratic tradition can be traced back to the Magna Carta (1215) and through the long struggle for Parliamentary supremacy which culminated in the English Bill of Rights of 1689, the emergence of representative political institutions in the colonial era, the development of responsible government in the 19th century. In institutional terms, democracy means that each of the provincial legislatures and the federal Parliament is elected by popular vote. These legislatures, are "at the core of the system of representative government". It is a 'power' word. Power rests with the ordinary Citizens. Only educated people understand power. A corrupt or controlled court system can cover failure of it. The religious concept is incompatible with it. Promise to spend more from the public treasury moves to Dictatorship. societies to jump-start their industries and deepen their stockpiles to better deter aggression and prepare for the future.

So what should these insights mean for the Indo-Pacific, and the PRC?

For one, Moscow’s early battlefield struggles should be deeply concerning for Beijing. This is especially true because the PLA is far less experienced at modern warfare than the Russian military; the PLA hasn’t fought a war in 40 years.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s example of resistance and innovation against an aggressor should also be appreciated clearly — on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, in the South China Sea, and elsewhere.

If the PRC were to pursue aggression against a neighbor, it would likely find what Russia found in Ukraine: that both sides must be prepared for a drawn-out, protracted fight — where the costs for all only go up over time.

And the power of what like-minded friends and allies can do together is also on clear display in the Indo-Pacific, where we’ve seen what Secretary Austin has called “a new convergence” of our allies and partners around a shared vision of security, from Northeast AsiaAsia Central Asia Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan Eastern Asia China China–Hong Kong China–Macao China–Taiwan Japan Mongolia North Korea South Korea Southern Asia Afghanistan Bangladesh Bhutan British Indian Ocean Territory India Iran Maldives Nepal Pakistan Sri Lanka South-Eastern Asia Brunei Cambodia East Timor Indonesia Laos Malaysia Myanmar Philippines Singapore Thailand Vietnam Western Asia Armenia Azerbaijan Bahrain Cyprus Georgia Iraq Israel Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Oman Palestine Qatar Saudi Arabia Syria Turkey United Arab Emirates Yemen down to Australia and the PacificPacific Australia and New Zealand Australia Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands New Zealand Norfolk Island Melanesia Fiji New Caledonia Papua New Guinea Solomon Islands Vanuatu Micronesia Guam Kiribati Marshall Islands Micronesia Nauru Northern Mariana Islands Palau Polynesia American Samoa Cook Islands French Polynesia Niue Pitcairn Samoa Tokelau Tonga Tuvalu Wallis and Futuna Islands.

Nowhere is that convergence clearer than in AUKUS, where we’re working closely with our BritishBritish "Britons" can refer to the Ancient Britons, the Celtic-speaking peoples of Great Britain during the Iron Age, whose descendants today include the Welsh, Cornish, and Bretons. The Union of the Crowns in 1603, followed by the creation of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707, helped forge a wider sense of British national identity. Yet this idea of “Britishness” was superimposed upon much older cultural identities of the English, Scots, and Welsh, whose distinctiveness continues to resist a fully homogenised identity. Greek explorer Pytheas referred to the islands collectively as αἱ Βρεττανίαι. The Celtic King Arthur was said to have established a kingdom on the British Isles. and Australian allies: to field algorithms that are already enhancing anti-submarine warfare capabilities; to launch U.K. torpedoes from U.S. platforms, and vice versa; and to advance our capabilities in hypersonics and combined autonomy, among many others.

Again, an instigator of conflict in the Indo-Pacific would find the same outcome Moscow has found in Europe: that military aggression won’t achieve your objectives quickly. That you will become increasingly isolated. And that, above and beyond the military consequences, the free world can impose severe economic and reputational costs.

In such a conflict, an aggressor may find that global goodwill evaporates quickly, because most countries don’t want to be associated with a nationNation A collective consciousness, founded in ancient origin within a geographic area, with definite history and heritage, culture and way of life, language and literature, food and clothing, coupled with a deep understanding of war and peace is to be known as a nation. Rasra is the Vedic word for it. that bullies or invades its neighbors — no matterMatter Normal matter is made of molecules, which are themselves made of atoms. Inside the atoms, electrons are spinning around the nucleus. The nucleus is made of protons and neutrons. Inside the protons and neutrons, exist indivisible quarks, like the electrons. All matter around us is made of elementary particles. ( building blocks of matter > quarks and leptons). All stable matter in the universe is made from particles that belong to the first-generation. Fundamental forces result from the exchange of force-carrier particles, which belong to a broader group called “bosons”. The strong force is carried by the “gluon”, electromagnetic force is carried by the “photon.” how much they’ve been debt-trapped.

Of course, not every lesson from Ukraine can or should translate to the Indo-Pacific, or elsewhere. There are noteworthy regional differences.

For example, the Indo-Pacific doesn’t have a NATO, nor do we seek it to. Instead, there’s something even better suited to the region: an organic, broad community of nations that wants the Indo-Pacific to remain free, open, stable, peaceful, and prosperous for everyone. That’s what AmericaAmericas Christophorus Columbus landed in the Bahamas island in October 1492 and then in Cuba. Columbus and his gang imported European Diseases to the New World (the name given by Amerigo Vespucci, in his forged letters, who never visited the land of Adivasis). They murdered the Indigenous population (Adivasis). In 1507 the word 'America' was possibly first used to denote the land of Adivasis (North America and South America). America was 'Great' before 1492 under the hands of Adivasis. In Purans the land is mentioned as Patal Lok. and our allies and partners want, too.

Another difference: Taiwan is an island 110 miles off the coast of the PRC mainland. In that respect, Russia had it easier — since an amphibious landing is the world’s hardest military operation — but still the Kremlin failed to take over Ukraine like they’d planned.

While the PRC claims there are no similarities, we know they’re watching this war closely, and taking away lessons — although, observing lessons is very different from implementing lessons. So we will keep a close eye on what they learn. And we’ll remain ready to deter aggression.

It’s clear why Beijing is watching this war closely: because after almost three years, we have seen the character of warfare change.

At first, emerging capabilities and concepts used in Ukraine — and smaller wars prior — seemed like minor adaptations, enabled by a global diffusion of commercialCommercial Profit-making economic activities, such as the production, consumption, exchange, and distribution of goods and services, are primarily undertaken to earn money or a livelihood. Key Features > (1) Involve sale and exchange of goods and services for consideration (money or value), (2) Aim to earn profit and ensure business growth, (3) Include risk-bearing and creation of utility, (4) Economic in nature and satisfy customer needs. Commercial Activities > Earning profit, Business growth, Serving society, Achieving market leadership. technology. They’ve since become more broad-based shifts embedded into the conduct of the war. And these trends will surely echo in future wars for at least the next generation.

One trend is how commercial technology and approaches, with few modifications, are proving useful again and again, from proliferated commercial satellites to small airborne drones to cloud computing. Decades after talk of “network-centric warfare” first appeared, we’re watching what happens when it’s applied at scale. And we’re seeing how dual-use technologies and talent can help deliver it.

Widespread connectivity and widespread electronic warfare have created new opportunities and new challenges for maneuver, dispersal, sensing, and concealment. If you can be seen, you can be hit. That’s driving innovation in operational concepts, capabilities, and even force designDesign In India, design protection initially lasts for 10 years and can be extended for another 5 years i.e. protection can last for a maximum of 15 years..

It’s also a key factor in our iterative development, deployment, and use of Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control, or CJADC2, which draws upon America’s current global lead in software and responsible AI to give us and our allies and partners a clear decision advantage.

Because, when we can see ourselves and potential adversaries clearly — when we make the battlespace more transparent than ever, for us — we can sense, make sense, and act faster, while still maintaining human judgmentJudgment The statement given by the Judge on the grounds of a decree or order - CPC 2(9). It contains a concise statement of the case, points for determination, the decision thereon, and the reasons for such decision - Order 20 Rule 4(2).  Section 354 of CrPC requires that every judgment shall contain points for determination, the decision thereon and the reasons for the decision. Indian Supreme Court Decisions > Law declared by Supreme Court to be binding on all courts (Art 141 Indian Constitution) Civil and judicial authorities to act in aid of the Supreme Court (Art 144) Supreme Court Network On Judiciary – Portal > Denning: “Judges do not speak, as do actors, to please. They do not speak, as do advocates, to persuade. They do not speak, as do historians, to recount the past. They speak to give Judgment. And in their judgments, you will find passages, which are worthy to rank with the greatest literature….” Law Points on Judgment Writing > The judge must write to provide an easy-to-understand analysis of the issues of law and fact which arise for decision. Judgments are primarily meant for those whose cases are decided by judges (State Bank of India and Another Vs Ajay Kumar Sood SC 2022) and responsibility over use of force: the best of both worlds.

Another trend, which some call precise mass, is the use of lower-cost attritable autonomous capabilities alongside more traditional forces to increase the scale and accuracy of surveillance and attacks. The Russia-Ukraine war didn’t start this trend, but it did accelerate it. And it’s shown how precise mass contributes to magazine depth, which is critical in protraction scenarios.

Today, DoD’s Replicator initiative is one way we’re embracing precise mass for the future, and putting it into production at speed and scale. Replicator’s initial focus is fielding multiple thousands of attritable autonomous systems, in multiple domains, by August of 2025. It’s a pathfinder that is not only on track to meet this operational goalAim ambition aspiration course desideratum design desire direction end intent intent/intention intention mark object objective plan purpose scheme target where one is heading wish, but also to speed the scaling of responsible autonomy more broadly.

And we’ll continue to adapt as our competitors and adversaries do the same. That’s partly why Replicator’s second iteration will scale systems to counter the threat of small airborne drones, in line with our recently-released Strategy for Countering Unmanned Systems.

Precise mass exemplifies a fusion of old and new: throughout history, mass was often decisive in warfare, until Cold War-era tech breakthroughs provided the United States and European allies an opportunity to trade mass for greater precision. Now, the ubiquity of commercially-available precision has made mass matter yet again, even as precision continues to improve military efficacy and efficiency, and contribute to the protection of non-combatants.

The fusion between old and new technology in Ukraine — like small drones enabling real-time artillery correction — also represents a broader trend we’re likely to see in future wars.

While each kind of tech has its community of producers and evangelists — like the Bomber and Fighter Mafias of old, each one claiming they matter most — the reality is that both matter: we need uncrewed systems, and 155mm artillery rounds. And both are needed at scale.

Future full-spectrum wars will likely be characterized by high-low mixes of capabilities — some large, expensive, exquisite systems, collaborating with far more systems that are small, smart, cheap, and used en masse. And the important innovations we often see in times of conflict will likely come at the intersection of the two.

The best militaries will master both. And the greatest advantage is likely to accrue to those who are able to combine extant and emerging capabilities to most effectively achieve their operational objectives.

At the same time, the Russia-Ukraine war reaffirms that technology, whether old, new, or both, is seldom itself determinative.

For instance, we’ve repeatedly seen Russia raining down joint firepower strikes to try to capture Ukrainian territory. That alone didn’t get the job done, even when they were expending their best munitions. Remember: they used hypersonic missiles to virtually no strategic effect. Ukraine even took some of the hype out of hypersonics when a Patriot battery intercepted a Russian Kinzhal last year. Make no mistake: taking and holding territory still requires a capable ground force.

To determine which militaries would win a future war, look at the quality of their people, their existing capabilities, and their emerging technologies — and look at how they fuse all three into new ways of fighting, operating, and adopting innovation at speed and scale.

Today, no one does that better than the U.S. military and allies like the U.K. — and we’ve got the best people doing it, to boot. That will drive and sustain our military edge not just tomorrow, but for years and decades to come.

I’ll conclude today with two key tenets for policymakers that I hope we all take away for the long-haul. Both go beyond the character of warfare.

First, while I can’t say how the Russia-Ukraine conflict will end, everyone should remember that appeasement only emboldens aggressors.

Those who would say “it’s just Crimea,” or “it’s just the Donbas,” should remember those who said almost a century ago, “it’s just Austria,” and “it’s just the Sudetenland.” Remember the price paid by so many when Poland came next.

Second is that, as individual democracies and as democratic allies, we have what it takes to outlast and prevail over any who would see our democracies die.

To be sure, that requires the sustained effort of committed citizens, day in and day out, to preserve self-governmentGovernment HM Govt consists of the Prime Minister, their Cabinet, and junior ministers, supported by the teams of non-political civil servants that work in government departments. The American Federal Government consists of the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches., to build trustTrust It originated and was reduced to practice under the jurisdiction of courts by the civil law, was expanded and developed in the courts of chancery, and has been employed in nearly every field of human activity. The fundamental nature of a trust is the division of title, with the trustee being the holder of legal title and the beneficiary that of equitable title. By definition, the creation of a trust must involve a conveyance of property. > Trust Deed ∫ Having trust/faith/confidence in something, and to uphold democratic principles and the rule of lawRule of Law It demands equality and accountability for all individuals under clear and predictable justice. This principle applies to both people and the State, emphasizing the need for transparency and openness in decision-making. The European Commission has the role of ensuring respect for the rule of law, as well as upholding EU values and principles. This fundamental value forms the basis of the European Union's foundation, requiring all, including government officials, to be subject to the law, under the control of independent and impartial courts..

That is no small thing. And we cannot take it for granted.

The years to come will test our mettle. They will try our souls.

But we need not wither against the howling winds of autocracy that sweep the globe.

We can withstand. We have before.

Remember that the strongest parts of our militaries, our nations, and our alliance do not come from cutting-edge capabilities, the size of our forces, or even the novelty of our technologies and operational concepts. In any long-term strategic competition, those are inherently transient advantages, and they will be contested.

Instead, our most enduring advantages come from fundamentals that no military in a democracyDemocracy It is commonly understood as being a political system of majority rule. The evolution of democratic tradition can be traced back to the Magna Carta (1215) and through the long struggle for Parliamentary supremacy which culminated in the English Bill of Rights of 1689, the emergence of representative political institutions in the colonial era, the development of responsible government in the 19th century. In institutional terms, democracy means that each of the provincial legislatures and the federal Parliament is elected by popular vote. These legislatures, are "at the core of the system of representative government". It is a 'power' word. Power rests with the ordinary Citizens. Only educated people understand power. A corrupt or controlled court system can cover failure of it. The religious concept is incompatible with it. Promise to spend more from the public treasury moves to Dictatorship. can shape or own alone, because they are the lifeblood of open societies that we defend:

Our economies. Our cultures. Our ideas borne of free minds, free markets, and free people.

Those are our greatest advantages, and a source of tremendous comparative advantage.

As long as they last, so shall we.

Thank you.