Ukraine is Now Teaching the US Army How to Win Modern Wars

I served in the US military at a time when it was transforming itself to fight terrorists and insurgents. Now, watching it transform back, with Ukraine’s help, is fascinating.

Ukraine has come a long way since 1991. The 30-year transformation from a Soviet fighting force to today — training US troops — has been nothing short of incredible.

So, how did we get here?

Between 1991 and 2014, Ukraine’s military was systematically gutted, leaving the once formidable force barely recognizable.

Back in 1991, Ukraine boasted nearly 800,000 troops, thousands of tanks and armored vehicles, and a nuclear arsenal that included 2,500 warheads.

The country’s air force was no slouch either, with hundreds of planes and bombers ready for action.

But in 1993, Ukraine handed over its nuclear weapons to Russia in exchange for promises of territorial sovereignty from the UK, the US, and, ironically, Russia itself.

This agreement, known as the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, now lies in the dustbin of history, its assurances clearly meaningless.

Once the nukes were gone, Ukraine’s leaders started eyeing other cuts.

Maintaining a sizable air force, especially bombers, was costly. So were big armies, tanks, and anti-aircraft defenses.

Meanwhile, Ukraine was grappling with a brutal economic meltdown, with its GDP…