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This is Why Russia is Losing so Many Generals

Wes O'Donnell
4 min readMay 11, 2022
Photo by Pixabay

Not since the end of World War II has one nation lost so many senior military leaders in such a short amount of time.

The Ukraine Ministry of Defense reports the number of Russian generals killed at 12. However, U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency’s (DIA) Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier said this week that the U.S. can only confirm 10.

Regardless, ABC News contributor and retired Col. Steve Ganyard said losing this many high-ranking officers in war is “quite extraordinary”.

The loss of so many Russian generals tells us two things:

First, it shows that, for Russia, this war is more than just a “special military operation.” For Putin, this conflict is important enough to sacrifice numerous officers on the alter of achieving his objectives.

But perhaps more insightful is what this tells us about Russian military structure.

In the United States military, Uncle Sam spends a great deal of time and money in the professional development of enlisted fighters. These are called Non-Commissioned Officers or NCOs.

Advancing to the NCO corps requires completion of some sort of basic leadership course. The more senior the NCO, the more professional development courses one must take to advance in rank.

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Wes O'Donnell
Wes O'Donnell

Written by Wes O'Donnell

US Army & US Air Force Veteran | Global Security Writer | Intel Forecaster | Law Student | TEDx Speaker | Pro Democracy | Pro Human | Hates Authoritarians

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