Bangladesh, Aug. 31 -- The appointment of former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov as an adviser to Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto is an intriguing development, not least because Fedorovs career has never followed the conventional path of a military professional. He is not a battlefield commander, a career general, or a strategist forged in military academies. His expertise lies elsewhere: technology, digital administration, communications, and the ability to push large bureaucracies toward faster decision-making.

That distinction is crucial to understanding why Rome might be interested in him.

Italy is not hiring Fedorov because it expects him to teach its armed forces how to conduct an armored offensive or defend the...