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any decision-makers after 85 years
without world wars, with only local con-
flicts, recognized that future wars would
also be local and rather "expeditionary" in nature,
as in Iraq or Afghanistan. The prevailing belief
was that near-peer full-scale war is a thing of the
past. The conclusion was drawn that what matte-
red above all was mobility, starting with the abili-
ty to rapidly move elements into hotspots, and
ending with the mobility of the soldiers them-
selves. In the case of the latter, increasing mobili-
ty is primarily about relieving the soldier's burden,
i.e. removing "unnecessary" kilograms from his
back, and since the future enemy was again most
likely to run in sandals over mountains, plant mi-
nes and possibly shoot AKs from a few hundred
meters, it was decided that the soldier was to
have relatively lightweight PPE, providing him
with high mobility and protecting him primarily
from gunfire. And everyone slept soundly until
February 24, 2022, the moment when, after the
Russia invaded Ukraine and a full-scale armed
conflict began, which has now lasted more than 3
years, in which all available means of warfare are
used, and some of the struggles resemble WW I
battles such as those at Verdun, where the two
sides of the conflict sit dug in and pound each
other with artillery fire.
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