Ukrainian troops share battlefield ingenuity at Polish training camp while NATO fills basic skill gaps
Ukrainian soldiers at Camp Jomsborg in Poland are teaching NATO instructors inventive combat tactics, even as they receive instruction in fundamental skills like marksmanship.
Camp Jomsborg, a Norway-run training site in Poland, hosts Ukrainian soldiers who are showcasing the improvisational methods they have developed during years of fighting Russia. Trainers including Brigadier Atle Molde and a Norwegian instructor known only as Jørgen describe the Ukrainians’ creativity as “admirable” and “greater tactical imagination” than that of many Western forces. However, the camp also addresses gaps in fundamental skills; some veterans with two years of combat cannot fire a rifle accurately and require basic marksmanship, communication and infantry movement training.
NATO’s description notes that trainees range from hardened veterans seeking advanced tactics to troops needing core infantry skills. Programs such as the UK-led Operation Interflex report similar observations, while the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense emphasizes extended basic training, including 137 hours of shooting practice and counter-drone drills. The partnership seeks to merge Ukrainian battlefield lessons with NATO’s conventional expertise, benefiting both sides.
Why it matters
It highlights how Ukraine's combat experience is influencing NATO training while exposing persistent basic-skill gaps in its forces.
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