NATO needs to learn from Ukraine without copying its acts of desperation, commander says

Ukraine has inspired allies with its development of and success with drone warfare, but it has also had to rely on drones when other weapons may be better suited.

Nikoletta Stoyanova/Getty Images NATO is racing to absorb Ukraine's hard-won lessons from fighting Russia.

But a Norwegian commander warned against copying everything Ukraine does.

Some Ukrainian tactics exist "because they don't have a choice," he said.

Western militaries are learning lessons on modern warfare through the training they provide Ukrainian troops , but one NATO commander says they need to distinguish between what Ukraine does because it works and what it does because it didn't have a better choice.

Norway is leading Operation Legio, a multinational effort to train Ukrainian soldiers at Camp Jomsborg, a purpose-built training camp in Poland.

There, Ukrainian troops and instructors with battlefield experience work alongside Western trainers.

Through its work with the Ukrainians, Norway is gathering information about tactics and equipment to bring back to its own military for consideration.

Brigadier Atle Molde, the commander overseeing Task Force Legio, told Business Insider that the camp might be "the most important sensor for information" for Norway as it, like other NATO allies, seeks to learn from Ukraine amid concerns that Russian aggression may one day spill over NATO borders.

But he warned that Norway cannot copy everything Ukraine does without critically examining it "We are learning every day from the Ukrainians," Molde said.

"But when you learn from the Ukrainian war, it's very important that you understand what you hear and see.

And that takes quite a bit of context, experience, and knowledge about what you're seeing." Norway must understand whether Ukraine is using certain gear or tactics because they're genuinely innovative, or because "it's the last option," because "it's the last choice they have." Molde said he believes that some of Ukraine's actions are indeed done "because they don't have a choice." Allies want to learn from Ukraine's new weaponry and tactics, but also to make sure they're taking the right lessons.

AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson Over the course of the war, Ukraine has developed innovative new weaponry , and those innovations have influenced NATO training, tactics, and weapons purchases.

But the distinction Molde is drawing matters, especially with drones.