Conflict in Focus: Lessons from Russia-Ukraine

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has marked a pivotal shift in modern warfare, showcasing the importance of resilience, innovation, and multidomain operations. Conflict in Focus, a limited event series by CSIS held from February to March 2025, explored these themes through expert-led discussions with military fellows and strategic thinkers. Each episode focused on a key domain—air, land, maritime, cyber, and space—drawing on firsthand insights to analyze how the war is reshaping military strategy and future force planning. This paper summarizes the series’ main takeaways, offering critical lessons for military professionals, policymakers, and strategists preparing for the conflicts of tomorrow.

This report is made possible by general support to CSIS. No direct sponsorship contributed to this report.