How Ukraine Built a War Fighting State

delichon•about 2 hours ago

> The solution was a market and "currency" for units to buy equipment and supplies. Brigade-level units purchase drones directly from the manufacturers using the "Brave" marketplace. The currency in the marketplace is points that units earn from video-confirmed kills of Russians. Drones flow to the most effective units, those units work closely with the manufacturers, and they can choose from a range of options depending on their current mission and Russian tactics.

Get out of the way, Pentagon, and let the best field grunts do procurement. How does the US military industrial complex react to that idea?

thisislife2•about 2 hours ago

> Drones flow to the most effective units

I guess that can work if the major battles are concentrated only at a few point. But what happens when it is spread out along a huge frontline? You can't really prioritise for "effective" if you also need to prioritise for "necessity"?

Cernunnos•about 2 hours ago

We would need a test bed for the different drones, and a way to get the points system working. Are you volunteering Cuba to be our testbed?

mnky9800n•about 2 hours ago

I’m sure if you call the pentagon “central planning” enough times people will decide they are communists and get rid of them.

rightbyte•about 1 hour ago

Seems like a way to purposly implement Goodhart's Law in a war bureaucracy. Like, the law is a warning but neoliberals might read it differently I guess...

delichon•about 1 hour ago

You're worried that they will over-fit on killing enemy invaders, at the expense of something more important? Like what?

Beijinger•about 2 hours ago

Not hard, if you pump 600 billion into one of the most corrupt and poorest countries.

badpun•12 minutes ago

It's actually pretty hard. The most expected scenario after pumping hundreds of billions into a cleptocracy would be for most of that money to get stolen with little to show for it. Not to build a machine that stopped Russia. What Ukraine authorities managed to do, given the country's state (the coruption is truly mindboggling), is remarkable.

Beijinger•about 1 hour ago

Why all the down votes?

Arnt•20 minutes ago

"let's send this stuff from the warehouse to Ukraine" "let's say it's a value of $x even though it's close to the use-by date" and then come you and write that someone sent $x, and expect anyone to believe that.

And you even write that $x makes hard things easy. Hope much did the US pay to lose against Iran? Winning against anyone for the same sum isn't easy.

vardump•40 minutes ago

Because it's not true? If you think it is, sources please.

Beijinger•24 minutes ago

Not hard, if you pump 600 billion [1] into one of the most corrupt [2] and poorest countries [3]

Google AI:

[1] The European Union and its member states have provided a total of €215.2 billion in overall support to Ukraine and its people since the start of Russia's war of aggression "Since the start of Russia's war of aggression, they have provided €215.2 billion in support for Ukraine and its people.", as reported by the Consilium of the European Union.

As of mid-2026, the United States Congress has made available $195 billion in total spending related to the war in Ukraine.

[2] Ukraine scored 36 out of 100 points in the latest Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), ranking 104th out of 180 countries. While the country’s rating has improved in recent years, ongoing wartime procurement and defense-sector scandals point to continued high-level corruption risks.

Behind most EU candidates: The average score for EU candidate countries is 39. Nations like Montenegro (46), Moldova (42), and Albania (40) are all perceived as cleaner than Ukraine.

[3] Ukraine is one of the poorest countries in Europe by both individual and national wealth standards, largely due to historical factors and the massive economic toll of the full-scale war. Global Standing: On the global stage, Ukraine ranks 94th

thisislife2•about 2 hours ago

Yes, it is a proxy war between NATO and Russia. But have they really pumped 600 billion dollars? I thought it was around 100 to 150 billions, so far, which isn't that much for the west.

Beijinger•about 1 hour ago

Nope

The European Union and its member states have provided a total of €215.2 billion in overall support to Ukraine and its people since the start of Russia's war of aggression "Since the start of Russia's war of aggression, they have provided €215.2 billion in support for Ukraine and its people.", as reported by the Consilium of the European Union.

As of mid-2026, the United States Congress has made available $195 billion in total spending related to the war in Ukraine.

Beijinger•about 1 hour ago

Ukraine is rich! https://expatcircle.com/cms/travel-impressions-ukraine-kyiv-...

Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers has approved the key parameters of this year's pension indexation, with payments set to rise by 12.1%

How Ukraine Built a War Fighting State

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