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The Biden administration’s plan to send a battalion of deadly Abrams tanks to Ukraine will be hampered by the production schedule and the Pentagon’s insistence that it has no surplus, the Defense Department revealed Thursday.
Unlike some of the high-tech weapons the US has been sending to Ukraine as part of a multibillion-dollar effort to deter an invasion of Russia, the US military doesn’t ‘have these tanks excessively available in our US stocks,’ said the Pentagon’s deputy press secretary. Sabrina Singh’ told reporters.
The media that it could be months before the tanks, which President Biden called the most capable in the world, reach their destination. Anyone can guess what the state of the war will be at that time. The first anniversary of the brutal invasion of Russia is approaching.
“These things will require sustaining training, sustaining, that will take a long time to train the Ukrainians as well,” Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh Singh told reporters on Thursday, a day after Biden announced the transfer.
“These things are going to require training maintenance, sustainment,” Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters. Since the army says it doesn’t have excess Abrams tanks, it will be around a year before they arrive in Ukraine. President Biden announced the transfer on Wednesday.
‘We take it into account. That is why we are using USAI’s ability to procure these tanks for the Ukrainians,” he said, referring to the Ukrainian Security Assistance Initiative.
Officials said it could take up to a year before the Ukrainian military uses Abrams tanks on the ground to try to retake territory captured by the Russians, fearing a new Russian offensive this spring.
The government will buy the new tanks from defense contractor General Dynamics, which makes the tanks at its Ohio plant. As with other sophisticated military equipment, the government will need to ensure that it does not provide certain ultra-sophisticated components to keep it out of the enemy’s reach. The White House has said there is no indication that US equipment provided to Ukraine has reached Russia or its adversaries.
The United States will provide its most advanced M1A2 Abrams model.
The tank is powered by a gas turbine engine, which provides speed and efficiency. But it also requires training, and the US plans to train the Ukrainians at a yet-to-be-determined location on how to operate them.
Russia launched what Ukraine called a “massive” flurry of missile strikes on Thursday, a day after the announcement.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has renewed his request for more weapons, including fighter jets.
‘We have to unlock the supply of long-range missiles to Ukraine, it is important for us to expand our cooperation in artillery, we have to achieve the supply of aircraft to Ukraine. And this is a dream. And this is a task,’ he said.
Biden announced Wednesday that the United States will send a full battalion of 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, caving in to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s push for heavy weaponry to counter Russia’s nearly year-old invasion.
The United States will supply Ukraine with highly lethal M1A2 Abrams tanks, the most sophisticated version. But it could take up to a year for them to get there.
The announcement followed a complicated diplomatic dance in which Germany announced its own decision to send 14 tanks to kyiv, with more on the way.
The United States is also providing 500 armored vehicles as part of the package.
Biden called the M1 Abrams tanks “the most capable tanks in the world” and said they would “enhance Ukraine’s ability to defend its territory to achieve its strategic objectives.”
He added that the Ukrainian army would use the armor to “liberate their land.”
President Joe Biden announced that the United States would send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. He called them ‘The most capable tanks in the world’.
The president also warned that the move “would take time,” referring to the complex training related to the weapons system, which he described as “extremely complex to operate and maintain.”
And he thanked German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for the German government’s contribution.
“Germany has really stepped up,” he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called for tanks as the next phase of the war looms, but US President Joe Biden has taken a cautious approach.
Biden responded to a question about whether Germany forced him to change his mind about sending the tanks.
Germany did not force me to change my mind. We wanted to make sure we were all together. That’s what we were going to do all along, and that’s what we’re doing now,” the president said.
After the president spoke, security spokesman Admiral John Kirby rejected claims that the United States had made a change to accommodate Germany. “Tanks were never off the table,” Kirby said. He said it would take months to get the tanks to the Ukraine, as the US currently does not have excess stock that is not being used. He said the training requirements would not slow the process down, at least not by much.
“Today we will announce that the United States will send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, which is equivalent to one Ukrainian tank battalion,” a senior administration official told reporters on a call Wednesday.
The Pentagon is also providing eight M88 recovery vehicles to help keep the Abrams tanks “working,” according to a senior administration official.
The tanks come as the US is stepping up its “combined forces” training for Ukrainian forces outside Ukrainian territory, allowing them to better integrate air, ground and armor forces into a more sophisticated form of warfare.
The Biden administration is sending M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine
Biden called the Abrams tanks “the most capable tanks in the world.” This is US Army Sgt. 1st Class Corey Troxell, fires blank rounds through a .50 caliber machine gun mounted on an M1A2 Abrams tank during a mock battle
Brigadier General Pat Ryer, the Pentagon’s press secretary, told CNN when asked if the fighter jets would be available to Zelensky, he said nothing is out of the question.
“We are going to continue to adapt to make sure that Ukraine has the support it needs to succeed, not only in defending its territory, but also in reclaiming its sovereign territory.”
The latest lethal aid package “allows them … to retake territory,” the senior administration official said. The moves come despite the Kremlin slamming it as an “extremely dangerous” move and a “blatant provocation” a year after it invaded its neighbour.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that his country would send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine
Tanks for these: This combination of archival photos created on January 25, 2023 shows (TOP LEFT/BOTTOM RIGHT): A British Challenger tank, a French Leclerc tank, a Polish German Leopard tank, and a US Abrams tank.
The president spoke with President Macron of France, Chancellor Scholz of Germany, Prime Minister Meloni of Italy and Prime Minister Sunak of the United Kingdom “as part of our close coordination on support for Ukraine,” according to the White House.
“It’s the most capable tank in the world, but it’s also the most sophisticated,” an administration official said, noting the training and supply chain issues that come with it.
“That will significantly strengthen its combat capabilities and also demonstrates the unity and determination of NATO allies and partners to support Ukraine,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said of Germany’s decision, speaking to CNN. on Wednesday, and also highlighted the ability to improve the situation in Ukraine. possibility of retaking territory.
The United States and its allies are also providing anti-tank weapons and ammunition. A Ukrainian service member fires an RPG-7 anti-tank grenade launcher in the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine on January 23, 2023.
Germany announced that it will send German-made Leopard 2 main battle tanks, with an initial company of 14 vehicles. The goal would ultimately be to provide two battalions, which would be between 80 and 100. Leopards are widely used in Western armies, and other countries have been seeking authorization from Germany to send their own.
The British government announced this month that it would send its own squadron of 14 Challenger 2 main battle tanks, while the Polish government has been preparing to send 14 of its Leopard 2s, after seeking German approval. Berlin gave the green light on Wednesday.
Last week the UK said it would send Challenger 2 tanks (pictured above) to Ukraine.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday called the US and German measures “long overdue.”
“Now that Berlin is taking a step, I hope that other European countries with tanks in their inventory will move quickly to send them to Ukraine,” he told the Senate floor.
Last week the UK announced it would be sending Challenger 2 main battle tanks to Ukraine, but that didn’t spur the US or Germany to immediately follow suit.