Ukraine has emerged as the world’s most intense proving ground for modern warfare. Yet, these lethal advances in technology and tactics will not remain confined to Ukrainian battlefields. While wars typically end with questions about security guarantees and postwar reconstruction, the end of the war in Ukraine will force an additional question: What happens to the people who acquired the technical know-how to fight the next war? The conflict has already reshaped debates about the future of armed conflict. Many analysts argue that the war marks the maturation of technological trends that now define contemporary warfare, pointing to the diffusion of new technologies that now underpin military operations on both sides. Aerial and maritime drones, AI-enabled targeting systems, and algorithmic tools for logistics and battlefield management are no longer theoretical; they are central tools to how war is fought. Networked drones, commercial sensors, and data-driven targeting have closed the distance from target identification to destruction. In short, kill chains that once took days to unfold now close in hours, even minutes. Equally important, operators have adapted and integrated these technologies in real time. Improvisation and experimentation have become essential for competition and survival on the modern battlefield.

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