Army Technology

Daily Newsletter

11 August 2023

Daily Newsletter

Tweet of the week: US election influencing Putin on Ukraine

US and European officials fear Putin will prolong the war in Ukraine while waiting for a change of US administration to his favour.

Each week, Army Technology’s journalists select top tweets that summarise the social media buzz in our sector, underpinned by GlobalData’s analytics. These social media signals help us understand brand sentiments and the themes driving conversations on social platforms. This new, thematic coverage is driven by our underlying Disruptor data which tracks all major deals, patents, company filings, hiring patterns and social media buzz across our sectors.

With the possibility of a return to the White House by former president Donald Trump, top US and European officials are concerned Russian President Vladimir Putin will continue his the invasion of Ukraine at least until the conclusion of the US Presidential elections in November 2024, according to an article from CNN.

Natasha Bertrand, one of the CNN journalists that authored the article, surmised views expressed within it by top Western national security, intelligence and diplomatic officials, in a post to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, on 4 August.

https://twitter.com/natashabertrand/status/1687431613200629760?s=61&t=_jhsPBQElmuOiRU0nHb7rw

The article cited a number of anonymous sources who expressed the view that Putin will continue the invasion of Ukraine until the election because he expects that a change of administration in the US will also bring about a change of US policy regarding Ukraine. A more nativist outlook could erode support for Ukraine, and provide Russia with a more favourable bargaining position.

Similar reports emerged elsewhere on the same day. The New European broadcast a podcast episode on 4 August, with the host Matt d'Ancona revealing two security sources had expressed the same opnion.

https://twitter.com/rethinkaudio/status/1687456603006529537?s=20

The show's production company Rethink Audio posted a video of the remarks from d'Ancona: “I spoke to a couple of people in the security sources and I said ‘What do you think all this means for Ukraine?’ and they both said ‘Vladimir Putin is trying to run out the clock. He thinks Trump is going to win, and that when he does, he, Putin, will be able to get his way in Ukraine.”

He went on to qualify the statements from his sources: “Look, this is speculative. We all know that intelligence coming out of the Kremlin is not of the greatest, but there’s this absolute clarity that that’s what Putin wants. He’s in for the whole drink, and, you know, if he can hang on in there for 18 months, …Trump will end the alliance of assistance, and once America is out of that, the alliance will collapse. Big stakes.”

President Biden's administration had already dealt with such suggestions in an interview last month. During a 16 July broadcast of Meet the Press on NBC News, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan was asked about this view directly by the show's host, Chuck Todd.

https://twitter.com/yasminalombaert/status/1680699982112776192?s=61&t=SzkvLE4hMFXsb-pwAe_VyA

"Are you concerned that Vladimir Putin is going to use theAmerican political calendar that he wants to buy time and see what happens in the November 2024 elections?" asked Todd.

"If in fact he is betting on American resolve to falter or fail he is going to continue losing that bet." responded Sullivan, while referencing the commitment of the US, and US allies within the partnership, to come to the support of Ukraine.

Combat UGV is expected to remain the dominant market segment followed by the logistics UGV segment

As the global appetite for unmanned systems continues to grow, the market for unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) has expanded significantly since 2015. While insufficient technological maturity had previously stymied the wider development and procurement of UGVs, continued investment within the defense industry has produced notable advancements in autonomous navigation, modularity, and endurance over the last several years. Modern UGVs are now suitable for a wider variety of defense and security applications beyond the traditionally limited scope of explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), with nations including China, France, India, Russia, the UK, and the US developing logistics, ISR, and combat-capable UGV platforms. Despite the significant untapped potential of compact and miniaturized UGV platforms, defense procurement officials worldwide are increasingly expressing interest in the development of larger, heavier UGV platforms designed to support and eventually replace certain ground forces and platforms on future battlefields. Per GlobalData analysis, over the next decade, the combat UGV segment is expected to remain the dominant market segment, primarily driven by procurement programs in countries such as the US, the UAE, Russia, Turkey, Italy, and Ukraine.