Move Fast and Innovate: Agile Procurement in Ukrainian Defence
By Elena Davlikanova, Polina Istomina, Jade McGlynn, and Chris Pool
Executive Summary:
The adaptation battle is central to understanding Russia’s war on Ukraine. Novel automated and robotic platforms, and new methods of their deployment and operational use, precipitate technological, doctrinal, and tactical responses and countermeasures which themselves lead to further adaptation. A focus on technical and operational development loops presents an incomplete picture of Ukrainian innovation, however, leaving us with a weaker understanding of the structures and processes that Ukraine has developed to ensure the right equipment is produced in the required numbers, and of how lessons learned on the battlefield are translated quickly and effectively into frontline capability.
The Ukrainian experience is showing that defence procurement can no longer be understood primarily as the administrative act of purchasing equipment: it is becoming an integral part of the combat innovation system. A specification can become outdated before a tender is completed, and a successful drone can become ineffective when the enemy changes electronic warfare (EW) tactics. The agility and adaptability of a military’s procurement system is therefore crucial to shortening the time between a change on the battlefield and the next production decision.
Different types of platforms, equipment and supplies require different approaches to procurement, and Ukraine has deliberately adopted a multi-layered system. High-end platforms remain long-term, state-coordinated programmes, while more decentralised approaches are taken to drones, EW, software, robotics and other rapidly evolving capabilities that require shorter procurement timescales. Central procurement provides scale and strategic coherence; decentralised mechanisms allow for rapid innovation. Both rely on digital systems that collect battlefield data and facilitate feedback.
This paper explores the evolution of the Ukrainian procurement system since Russia’s full-scale invasion, how the system operates in practice and what challenges Ukraine still faces. At the end of each section, we evaluate the relevance to the UK, and conclude with overall recommendations for the UK procurement system based on wartime Ukrainian experience.
