“There’s nothing like combat operations to drive innovation; when your life depends on it, you change what you’re doing,” Grynkewich said, pointing to the integration of unmanned systems and additive manufacturing by Ukrainian forces. He noted that, until recently, he had not seen how innovation in warfare would unfold in the digital era.
The general stressed the importance of fostering close cooperation between military units and industry to accelerate capability development. “Down at the brigade level, they’re able to have a relationship with an industry partner that drives innovation — not in a matter of years, but in a matter of days,” he said.
According to Grynkewich, NATO leaders must take note of Ukraine’s approach and implement similar practices across allied formations. He urged military and industry leaders to reflect on these lessons and bring them into NATO’s defence planning and execution.
Addressing defence industry representatives in Europe and the United States, Grynkewich emphasised that NATO is actively seeking innovative technologies. “We have a shopping list; the shopping list comes from our plans, and we can tell industry exactly what it is that we need,” he said.
He called for faster delivery of capabilities and for both industry and defence leadership to streamline processes. “It’s our job, I think, to hold industry accountable to deliver quickly and to hold ourselves accountable for giving industry the ability to deliver quickly through our acquisition processes,” he added.
The urgency of equipping NATO forces was a key message, with Grynkewich warning against delays. “We need real capabilities, and we need them delivered as soon as possible. We can’t afford to wait,” he said, adding, “Future pledges are no longer enough.”
He called for a unified and fully active transatlantic defence industrial base to meet NATO’s current needs. “There’s plenty of work to go around, and it’s a false choice to think that we can only invest in one or the other. It needs to be one seamless industrial base that can deliver capability and capacity for the alliance,” he said.
Grynkewich also pointed to the recent agreement by NATO allies to allocate 5% of their GDP to defence as a major step forward. “This demonstrates will across the alliance and every single nation backing the military requirements we have with a commitment to getting those requirements into the field,” he concluded.
Source: U.S. Department of Defense.
