One of Ukraine’s key battlefield successes against Russia has been its employment of “deep strike” operations. That is to say, operations against targets deep behind Russian lines. As first reported by the Washington Examiner, Kyiv’s strategy here is heavily influenced by British special forces in Ukraine.

Deep strike operations seek to target an enemy’s command and control apparatus, airfields, bridges, railways, or key logistics nodes such as fuel and munitions depots. A successful deep strike action often has the added benefit of throwing an enemy off balance psychologically and forcing his diversion of resources to better protect other potential deep strike targets against future attacks. But the results in Ukraine are clear: Deep strike operations have allowed Kyiv to pressure Russia’s high-value military capabilities and its energy sector and undermine Russian President Vladimir Putin’s domestic credibility. The Russian Black Sea fleet has lost numerous high-value warships to Ukrainian deep strikes, for example. But Ukraine’s success also carries a lesson for Western militaries: Deep battlespace operations remain critical. Recognizing Russia’s rising challenge and the potential distraction of U.S. military forces by a war with China, America’s closest allies need to take up the mantle here. They must do so beyond special forces.