How nets from a Danish fishing village found their way into Ukraine’s modern war

Jennifer Kavanagh, director of military analysis at the Washington-based think tank Defense Priorities, told Business Insider that Ukraine’s demand for fishing nets is an example of how the fighting there has democratized modern warfare.

“In the United States, military and political leaders are always searching for the next best weapon or military system, the one platform that will give the United States insurmountable advantages,” she said. “But what the Ukraine war has shown is that while these types of high-tech solutions to military challenges have their place, low-tech and inexpensive alternatives can sometimes work just as well.”

Investing billions of dollars into advanced platforms may not be enough to win a future war, since they might be defeated by a less capable adversary with a simple or cheap defense, she added.

“Fishing nets might not be the right response for the US military, but in this case and others, the Pentagon should spend more time exploring less advanced options rather than defaulting immediately to complex and bespoke designs,” Kavanagh said.