Craig Hooper, Forbes military columnist believes that there is no alternative to Ukraine transitioning to NATO artillery caliber. This transition will be unprecedented in speed and scale.

Militarnyi reports about this with reference to Hooper’s latest column.

Hooper believes that Ukraine will have to switch to 155-mm artillery shortly.

Although now it may seem beneficial to continue producing Soviet-caliber ammunition, this solution is not economically viable in the long run. After all, the last barrels of Ukrainian 152, 125, and 122 mm guns will run out of resources in the foreseeable future. So far, it would only make sense to supply Ukraine with all the stockpiles of ammunition from the warehouses of the American allies.

Forbes points out that all previous NATO attempts to help its members – former Warsaw Pact members – transition to Western calibers have been lengthy, costly, and difficult.

In contrast, there are success stories of the Armed Forces of Ukraine mastering the anti-tank weapons and MANPADS of Western production. However, these are the easiest-to-use systems built on the principle of “one and done.” At the same time, artillery and armored vehicles require long-term training and compliance with operating conditions.

The US aid package announced on April 13, which includes eighteen 155-mm howitzers, 40,000 shells, and AN/TPQ-36 counter-battery radars could become the basis for the Ukrainian further transition to NATO artillery. The remaining challenges would include minimizing the training time and mass deployment of these weapons to the front.

Mastering new systems in the midst of a war of mechanized units would reduce the tactical effectiveness. Therefore, the West must launch two parallel processes – the supply of Soviet weapons and ammunition, and the training and deployment of Western models to the Armed Forces.

In addition to artillery, similar challenges and tasks lie in the supply of armored vehicles.

Craig Hooper points attention to this paradoxical outcome of the war unleashed by Putin. It is accelerating the “de facto” integration of the Armed Forces into NATO, and given the course of events, Ukraine’s future accession to the Alliance is almost inevitable.