Winning the War by Winning the Peace in Ukraine

Over the past 20 years, America has failed in both war and peace. The world is burning and waiting for President Donald Trump to follow through on his promise to establish a ceasefire in the war and, eventually, broker a peace deal. The war in Ukraine presents itself as both a challenge for Trump and, for the first time since the end of the Korean War, an opportunity for America to win the war by winning the peace.

To imagine a successful future, we must learn from the past. The reconstruction of Japan after World War II, the reconstruction of South Korea after the conflict on the Korean Peninsula, and the reconstruction of Germany provide lessons and perspectives that we can draw on. All three nations experienced economic and security reforms that not only benefited the nation, but also strengthened the United States in economic and security terms.

That same opportunity exists today for the people of Ukraine and the United States. Ukraine’s coming economic miracle and recovery will reshape the Eurasian continent. Ukraine will become a beacon for innovation, resilience and forward-looking development. Nothing unites two nations more than strong commercial ties. The economic intertwining of the United States and Ukraine will bring prosperity to both.

The security and development of key minerals will be the cornerstone of this success. The key is to accelerate the extraction and processing of Ukraine’s vast mineral resources. Securing multi-trillion dollars of key minerals in Ukraine is a vital national interest of the United States.

Civil nuclear power will provide stable, clean energy for the re-industrialization of Ukraine. Strong capacity is needed to drive the coming economic renaissance. Energy security is the basis of sovereignty and success.

Likewise, land restoration is necessary. Unexploded ordnance and other soil contamination must be mitigated. Ukraine has always been the breadbasket of the world. Along with Europe, much of the African continent relies on Ukraine’s agricultural resilience and success. By clearing, people will quickly find employment and start agricultural development.

Redesigning the defense industrial base to implement new battlefield technologies and proven legacy systems is critical to Ukraine’s security. Holistic integration of command, control, communications, computer systems, manufacturing and innovation will create a “living” and responsive system that will face all adversaries and new technologies.

World-class data systems will be required to meet the upcoming needs. This includes robust fiber rings, server capacity and AI infrastructure. This should be built on excess capacity and leverage new technologies to provide scalable information systems to all stakeholders.

There is an incredible opportunity for the United States and Ukraine to develop, test, and deploy revolutionary AI infrastructure. Small modular reactors, which provide nuclear-powered data centers, offer a new physics-based approach compared to legacy server designs. This, combined with the aforementioned data network capacity, will deliver game-changing results.

Citadels of innovation like Silicon Valley will be another key driver. This means harnessing the deep intellectual capacity of the Ukrainian people as a world leader in technological innovation.

Restructuring government for economic success, security success, and a secure and resilient democracy will be critical to achieving all of these long-term goals.

Finally, the story of Ukraine must be told, including why Ukraine matters and why a strong partnership with the United States is important. The values ​​of the Ukrainian people mirror our own, and their resilience can provide hope and vision, not only for their people, but for our nation as well.

David Yesterday is a writer, director and producer whose films include Fury, End of Watch and Beekeeper. A former Navy submariner, David has an abiding interest in global messaging and new ways of telling stories.

RDML (retd) Michael HewittUS Navy, is co-founder and CEO of IP3 Corporation and CEO of Allied Nuclear Partners. IP3 creates successful, peaceful environments in critical global markets through the development of sustainable energy and security infrastructure through public/private initiatives and industry-led partnerships.

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