Opinion by Max Boot: Russian tanks are taking a beating. Do they still have a place on the modern battlefield?
: “Russia’s disastrous tactics have been a terrible advertisement for tanks. But we should be careful to avoid drawing the wrong conclusions. No artillery support. No infantry support. No air support. This is not how combined arms tactics work in an era of multi-domain operations.” If the Russian tanks were better supported by infantry, artillery and airpower, the argument goes, they would not be so vulnerable to the hit-and-run tactics of Ukrainian infantry armed with antitank weapons.
The consensus of military experts is that armor still has a vital place on the battlefield in enabling offensive operations. Mick Ryan, a recently retired major general in the Australian army, told me that “the historical data on ground forces that have tanks, versus those that don’t, is pretty exhaustive. If you have tanks, you lose less soldiers and have a better chance of success. The caveat is that they need to be used in a well-led combined arms team.
The only thing all sides in the armor debate can agree on is that Russia is badly misusing its tanks — and Ukraine is taking full advantage of Russian ineptitude.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Russia-Ukraine updates: Ukraine defies Russian call to surrender MariupolNEW: 96-year-old Boris Romantchenko, who survived multiple Nazi concentration camps, was killed in the Russian bombardment of Kharkiv, Ukraine's foreign minister said. “Survived Hitler, murdered by Putin,” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote.
Read more »
Auction houses stop Russian art sales as Russia-Ukraine war drags on: 'Strict compliance'Leading auction houses are pausing Russian art sales and don’t have plans to participate in Russian Art Week in June due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
Read more »
Russia-Ukraine live updates: Ukraine rejects Kremlin’s call to surrender Mariupol amid intense street fightingAs the conflict enters its 26th day, the Russian military is approaching a stalemate in many other parts of the country, including outside Kyiv, the capital city.
Read more »
Ukrainian owner of a Russian restaurant receives hate amid Russia-Ukraine war: 'Upsetting'Alan Aguichev, the co-owner of New York City restaurant Sveta, has been receiving hateful emails and phone calls because of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Read more »
Ukraine Says Russia Bombed Mariupol Art School Sheltering 400Ukrainian authorities said Sunday that Russia's military bombed an art school sheltering some 400 people in the embattled port city of Mariupol, where Ukraine's president said an unrelenting Russian siege would be remembered for centuries to come.
Read more »
Russia Gives Ukraine A Deadline To Surrender MariupolRussia has given Ukrainian forces until 5 a.m. to surrender the besieged city.
Read more »