Strategic Lessons from the Spanish Civil War for Modern Warfare (hcss.nl)

• Conflict zones serve as critical testing grounds for future military technologies.
• Authoritarian regimes are effectively utilizing proxy wars to refine combined-arms capabilities.
• Self-deterrence and slow decision-making provide strategic advantages to adversarial powers.

"A new HCSS paper by Dr. Iskander Rehman compares the Spanish Civil War to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, framing both as global laboratories for military adaptation. The analysis highlights that while authoritarian regimes rapidly integrate battlefield lessons—such as drone warfare and electronic systems—Western democracies often suffer from 'mislearning' or hesitation due to fear of escalation. The paper argues that failing to treat Ukraine as a systemic contest risks long-term military obsolescence and recommends institutionalizing rapid battlefield learning cycles into defense procurement and strategic doctrine."