Six Belgian Army officers from the 2024-2025 Candidate Senior Officer Course (CSOC) at the Defence College reflect on different ways in which survivability is challenged on today’s battlefield in Ukraine. Their analyses and recommendations are brought together in this Thematic Paper, which is the fruit of an ongoing collaboration between the Chair of Land Operations of the Defence College and the Royal Higher Institute for Defence (RHID).
In the first article, Walter BAETEN argues how restructuring combat units and the application of mission command can help improve survivability. Florent HAINAUT, in a second article, studies the challenge of protection against FPV-UASs. In a third article, Pieter BALCAEN guides us through a series of battlefield adaptations to the use and the equipment of main battle tanks (MBT). In a fourth article, Eloi STEYAERT does the same for command posts. Giel SNEYERS is next, with a fifth article about survivability of field artillery units and how they need to adapt their tactics, technics and procedures (TTP). Finally, in a sixth article by Grégory DELCOURT, we read about changes made to logistical procedures with a view to improving the survivability of logistical units.
(collection of articles available only in French and/or Dutch)
Research lines: Belgium; Eurasia; Defence capabilities and technologies
Source photo: © U.S. Army
Thematic Paper 03
Challenges to Survivability
on the Ukrainian Battlefield
Walter BAETEN
Florent HAINAUT
Pieter BALCAEN
Eloi STEYAERT
Giel SNEYERS
Grégory DELCOURT