Russia's invasion could return focus on armor and artillery, away from AI and robotics

Russia's invasion of Ukraine could force governments with technologically advanced militaries to reevaluate their investments in areas such as robotics and artificial intelligence, creating a renaissance for spending on armor and artillery, a panel of military leaders said this week at the Eurosatory defense expo. Gen. Matthew Van Wagenen, the deputy chief of staff for operations at NATO's headquarters in Brussels, told attendees that Russia's shelling and force thus far in Ukraine could lead to a greater focus on "hard power." "Many fell asleep believing that the kind of warfare that we're seeing in the Ukraine right now would never [have] happened again in Europe," he said. "And here we are in 2022, and attrition warfare is going on in Western Europe again. And I think what it's going to force many governments to go back and look at is: What are those investments in defense that have been made or need to be made?"