WarTalk: Kofman on Starlink + What Ukraine Can Teach the U.S. Military

Modern warfare in Ukraine demonstrates that mass precision and pervasive ISR have fundamentally altered the battlefield, rendering traditional notions of nighttime dominance and operational surprise obsolete. The throttling of Starshield connectivity has significantly hampered Ukrainian long-range strike operations, highlighting the strategic risks of over-reliance on single-supplier communication networks. Effective adaptation requires more than mere technology procurement; it demands structural shifts, such as the integration of dedicated drone platoons and companies, alongside a renewed focus on passive protection and deception. Western militaries currently struggle to reconcile these realities with existing doctrine, often treating drones as additive rather than transformative. Future conventional success depends on the ability to displace enemy fire support, execute complex wet gap crossings under fire, and prioritize organizational capacity over the acquisition of exquisite, vulnerable assets.