The Military Technological Arms Race in Ukraine

The Military Technological Arms Race in Ukraine

From Modern War Institute by Modern War Institute at West Point

October 5, 2025 · 47 min

About this episode

This episode discusses the technological arms race in the Ukraine conflict, featuring insights from expert Sam Bendett.

Almost since the very beginning the war in Ukraine triggered by Russia’s invasion in February 2022, the conflict took on characteristics of a technological arms race, with each side seeking to innovate to gain a battlefield advantage. As the war has continued, that contest for advantage has taken place on an increasingly rapid scale. The rollout of a drone optimized for a new mission, the development of a new tactic, an advance in electronic warfare—each of these has produced a shorter and shorter window of advantage until the other side counters it with its own innovation. In this episode, John Amble is joined by Sam Bendett, an adviser and member of the Russia Studies Program at CNA and a close observer of the way Ukraine and Russia are leveraging technological innovation in the war. The MWI Podcast is produced with the generous support of the West Point Class of 1974.

People in this episode

Host: John Amble

Guest: Sam Bendett

Topics covered

  • military technology
  • arms race
  • Ukraine conflict
  • electronic warfare
  • drone innovation

Keywords

  • military technology
  • Ukraine
  • Russia
  • arms race
  • drones
  • electronic warfare
  • innovation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: CNA

Places: Ukraine, Russia

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