On the second day of our conference in Warsaw, discussions swirled over how best to surmount the obstacle that wide wet gap crossing operations present. As seen in Ukraine, these operations are one of the most dangerous in modern warfare.

Lieutenant Colonel Carl-Axel Blomdahl from the Swedish Defence Material Administration contended that without speed, units crossing rivers might find themselves decimated as a result of enemy action either from a flurry of artillery or FPV drones. As soon as vehicles gather to plant a pontoon bridge, the clock starts and the longer it takes to cross the water,  the more likely a unit is to be spotted by the enemy’s ISR capabilities. 

Due to the risk of such operations under a contested airspace, Lt. Col. Blomdahl recommended using ferries as a way to increase manoeuvrability, speed, and dispersion.