On this past Wednesday, German Rear Admiral Ulrich Reineke delivered a presentation about the war in Ukraine. The event was hosted by the Martin Institute as a part of Reineke’s week-long visit to the university.
“I believe that the most important thing is […] to educate in particular our young leaders, and we shouldn’t ever underestimate the role of education,” Reineke said. He emphasized the importance of leadership training, deterrence, and solidarity as key to Ukrainian victory and the future of warfare globally.
Reineke shared that deterrence was one of the most vital actions to be taken in international relations. “If you want peace, prepare for war. It is today as true as ever,” he said, reiterating the importance of international studies programs. “It’s about diplomacy, understanding the international environment, and doing most of the work before conflict.” Utilizing military, technological, and even economic deterrents is key, which he said failed in Ukraine.
Technology often improves in times of war, and Reineke believes that software improvements are particularly important. “The future of wars will be largely influenced by software, bringing data information to the right place, connectivity between different weapons systems,” he said, “the use of algorithms and artificial intelligence, uncrewed systems.”
Rebuilding post-war is important, too. Without a proper transition from war to peace—with economic, educational, and humanitarian support—Ukraine is likely to struggle. Reineke cites the importance of alliances like NATO and their ability to provide interoperability and strength.
In Europe, where competing interests and limited resources are hard to escape, instability is only increasing. “We are worried about the continuous challenge over the next years, maybe decades, coming out of these countries,” Reineke said. The war in Ukraine is a demonstration of Russia’s intentions and capabilities and a stress test for the international community. “In Russia, [Ukraine] is very much about Russian self-perception. For most Russians, Ukraine is a fundamental part of Russia.” Response was limited following the 2014 invasion of the Crimean Peninsula, as many European states had assumed the threat to be minor at the time.
Feb. 24 marks two years since the escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. Reineke, Rear Admiral and Director of Plans and Policy for the German Navy, has worked for Germany’s Federal Administrative Defense, NATO and Maritime Operations U.N. His visit to the University of Idaho this week has included interaction with students in the Navy ROTC program and international studies courses.
The Martin Institute has been providing a series of lectures on international topics since 1999. This week’s presentation had a large and enthusiastic turnout. “I am extremely grateful that there’s so much interest among students here at the university for the international environment,” Reineke said. “We must increase our understanding and our shaping of the international environment, diplomacy, understanding; but if deterrence fails, we must win the war.”
Dakota Steffen can be reached at [email protected].