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Another Day – Another Global Catastrophe
After COVID19, Climate Change, Net Zero Carbon, material shortages, skill and young labour shortages, we are facing another round of shortages – that of superlatives. Against that, though, we have to acclaim Vladimir Putin’s ability to achieve the impossible – getting the UK, the US and the EU working together for a common goal, reversing Germany’s energy policy and getting them to rethink their military strategy, and revitalizing the common goals of NATO as a force for the defense of Western democracies.
The stark reality, though, is that Russia has unleashed a terrifying invasion of The Ukraine, using lies and hostile statements to justify its ‘special military operation’. Hampered on the ground it is resorting to heavy air and missile attacks against innocent civilian targets. The Ukrainians are showing tremendous spirit againsta technically superior force.
How’s it going, then? We’re not experts in warfare but know a bit about Project Management. Analysing the current situation with a 40mile convoy static outside of Kiev for the last three days, emphasizes one of the critical lessons to be learned from the invasion – if you are embarking on a major project which depends on a constant resupply of resources, get your logistics properly sorted out. If it is held up for any reason, have your alternatives in place.
Points two and three could also come from an ERP handbook. Make sure everybody knows what’s going on and what their roles are and set up an effective means of communication and collaboration between management and people on the ground. The Conscripts sent into the Ukraine are having to communicate on open VHF channels, which anyone can pick up on their local radio. The conversations that they are hearing confirm point two above. The average ‘soldier’ – local civilians given a uniform and a gun, tired and hungry and out of fuel, thought that he was on the move for an extended training exercise. The convoy can’t advance to support Russian troops in Kviv, and it can’t turn round and scuttle back to Russia.
Sure, it’s a trite answer to a desperate situation. The problem, though, is that the incompetence of Putin’s armed forces has trashed the country’s reputation as an enemy to be feared, and that could lead to a catastrophic face-saving decision with regard to its nuclear capabilities.
David Chadwick
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