Low-Cost Solutions for Military Capabilities

Over the past 50 years in Western Defence and Technological Industrial Bases (DTIBs), rising costs have outpaced increases in defence budgets, thus limiting the number of systems armed forces can afford to procure. This “scissor effect”, as explained by Ténenbaum, is pushing Western armed forces toward smaller and more limited forces: an observation in line with Augustine’s 1984 Law, which highlights the increasing financial cost of maintaining cutting-edge military technologies. On the contrary, confronted with limited financial resources, increasing economic sanctions, and less advanced technology, adversaries are turning to strategies based on mass and saturation. In ongoing conflicts like the war in Ukraine, the development of low-cost military capabilities has, therefore, become a crucial focus; not only for adversaries such as Russia and Iran, but also for Ukrainian forces themselves. Countries are now increasingly looking for affordable ways to counter advanced weapons to sustain military efforts.