“A humiliation of the Russian armed forces”

Ukraine is on the defensive, but it still has one trump card: superior technology and artificial intelligence. Expert Jay Tuck explains why he believes in a Ukrainian victory.

On the battlefields of Ukraine, the Russian invaders are fighting against the Ukrainian army, but another power is also involved: high technology from the USA, especially artificial intelligence. With their help, Ukraine would even be able to win the war.

That’s what Jay Tuck says, an experienced war reporter and artificial intelligence expert who recently published the book “AI and modern war. How artificial intelligence can defeat the Russian army.” In an interview, Tuck explains how AI is already influencing war.

t-online: Mr. Tuck, the Russian army was once considered an unstoppable steamroller, but with the help of the Javelin anti-tank weapon, Ukraine has destroyed this reputation. What makes the Javelin so dangerous?

Jay Tuck: The Javelin was a real game changer, something the Russians didn’t expect at all. Putin thought he had it easy: More than 100,000 soldiers and 1,000 tanks at the border? That should actually have been enough to conquer Ukraine within a short time after the invasion began in 2022. But that was purely wishful thinking, based on outdated technology. The Russians learned this lesson the hard way. Because with the Javelin they had to deal with a modern “fire-and-forget” weapon in large numbers.

What does it mean that after “firing” the Ukrainian soldier in question can take cover and “forget” because the Javelin does everything else on its own?

That’s the way it is. During the approach, the Javelin adjusts its flight to the enemy target using artificial intelligence. This means there is less danger for the shooter because he can dive straight back down. But that’s not the only advantage of this weapon system: In contrast to previous anti-tank weapons, which fly parallel to the ground, the Javelin shoots high into the air before impact and then plunges vertically down towards its target.

Jay Tuck, born in Brooklyn, New York in 1945, is an investigative journalist, war correspondent and best-selling author. The American has lived and worked in Germany for decades; Tuck was the editor in charge of the ARD Tagesthemen for fifteen years. As a war reporter, the security expert traveled to Iraq, Kuwait and Ukraine. In 2016, Tuck published his book “Evolution without us. Will artificial intelligence kill us?“, recently published “AI and modern war. How artificial intelligence can defeat the Russian army“.

Where is there a weak point in the armor?

Exactly. To defend themselves, the commanders of the Russian tank units quickly had metal cages installed over the turrets of their vehicles – but all their efforts were in vain, the Javelin’s warhead exploded inside. The inmates had no chance.

The Russian tank column, with which the Kremlin troops had wanted to take Kiev since February 2022, was also an easy target for the Ukrainian soldiers.

You could say so. In mid-November 2022, the Russian army finally lost around 1,500 tanks, as the Oryx research group from the Netherlands determined. So the Russians had massive losses, while there was no shortage of Javelins. The plant in question in Alabama was not even at capacity and was able to quickly provide the Ukrainians with the necessary supplies.

US President Joe Biden even visited the plant in May 2022.

Biden wanted to thank the employees, whom he addressed as “war heroes.” For understandable reasons: producing a $50,000 rocket is far cheaper than building a new tank for $4 million. But Biden’s visit to Alabama was also highly revealing for another reason – because it revealed the US’s true intentions regarding the war in Ukraine.

“We are making a fool of the Russian military,” the American president said openly and honestly in Alabama. In other words, Biden’s goal was to humiliate Russian forces. They shouldn’t be able to repeat such an invasion. It would also underscore the status of the United States as the only remaining superpower.

Isn’t that risky? After all, Russia is a nuclear power.

The Ukraine war is perfect for these purposes – the USA can only win. Russia and Ukraine are the warring parties. Not a single US soldier’s life had to be risked. The conflict is completely different: While the Russian army, the second largest in the world, is fighting against Ukraine, America is using its technology to counter it. It’s a big showdown.