Lessons from Ukraine: The Future of Armored Warfare and Innovation

February 2025 marks three years since Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. During that time, the U.S. military and its NATO allies have learned valuable lessons about contemporary military operations that range in topics from UAS to command and control, armored vehicles and more. As the Former Commanding General of the Security Assistance Group – Ukraine (SAGU), (Ret.) Lieutenant General Tony Aguto learned these lessons firsthand while supporting the Ukrainian military with battlefield and security systems advice, as well as providing material and training needs.

Aguto has 36 years of experience as a strategic planner, expert trainer and commander in the U.S. Army. He is an expert in military readiness, coalition building, navigating U.S. and NATO Defense Policy, and integrating technology in today’s complex and demanding environment. Prior to his role at SAGU, Aguto commanded at all four Army levels from Lieutenant to General and has directed the Army’s Training Centers in the US and overseas, including Eastern Europe.

This June 24-25, (Ret.) LTG Aguto will present at IDGA’s Armored Vehicle USA conference on lessons he took away from his experience in Ukraine. During the two-day event speakers will cover everything armored vehicles related: from strategic issues to the threat environment, to the challenges of MRO and lifecycle management, all the way through to the next generation of ‘optionally manned’ combat vehicles.

Before attendees arrive in Detroit this summer, IDGA sat down with Aguto to discuss items such as:

• How the threat landscape has evolved for armored vehicles
• The role of emerging technologies in future armored vehicle development
• What he is looking forward to at the upcoming Armored Vehicle USA conference.