US expediting Abrams delivery to Ukraine, says DoD
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The United States is trying to get Abrams tanks to Ukraine faster after it had promised them months ago, with Kiev still waiting for the deliveries.
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In this Dec. 10, 2015, U.S. M1A2 SEP Abrams battle tanks prepare to cross the Hantan River during a river crossing operation, part of an annual joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
The United States is expediting its timeline for providing M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine to deliver training tanks to Germany in the coming weeks, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Friday.
"We've also expedited our M1 Abrams timelines to supply Ukraine with more armored capability in the coming months, and the M1s that the Ukrainians will use for training will arrive here in Germany in the next few weeks," Austin told a press conference.
US media reported on Friday that 31 Abrams tanks would arrive in Germany soon, with training expected to last for 10 weeks, while the tanks themselves are expected to reach Ukraine by fall, the reports said.
US Defense Department spokesperson Pat Ryder said in late March that the United States would adhere to its "expedited timeline" to deliver the Patriot aid and missile defense system to Ukraine.
"I'm not going to get into delivery timelines, other than to say that we're confident that we'll be able to get the Patriots there on an expedited timeline," Ryder told a press briefing.
The statements came from the United States in light of reports suggesting that the Pentagon wanted to refurbish existing M1A1 Abrams main battle tank hulls instead of going through the process of building new tanks in a bid to get them to Ukraine faster.
Ryder said his country would provide Ukraine with the M1A1 variant of the Abrams tank instead of the M1A2 variant as initially planned in order to expedite delivery of the platform to this fall.
Ryder explained that the M1A2 variant would have taken more than a year to deliver.
The US will ensure that Ukrainian troops receive training on the tanks in time for their delivery, Ryder added.
Ukrainian soldiers complete Patriot training
Some 65 Ukrainian soldiers were undergoing training on how to operate the Patriot system at the Fort Sill base in Oklahoma, the United States. They are expected to continue preparations for operating the system in Europe once they finish training in the United States.
The soldiers, as reported by the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, recently completed their training on the Patriot air defense system.
"[T]here are 65 Ukrainians that completed training on Patriot missile systems just recently," Milley said during a press conference at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
"In addition, there are about 2,500 Ukrainian soldiers conducting training right now in Germany. Another 8,800, almost 9,000, have completed training and returned to Ukraine," he added.
US President Joe Biden had said in December that he intended to supply Ukraine with Patriot missile systems, underlining that "We are going to continue to strengthen Ukraine's ability to defend itself, particularly air defense. That's why we're gonna be providing Ukraine with a Patriot missile battery and training Ukrainian forces to use it."
However, US National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby said in March that Patriot systems sent to Ukraine won't be a match in efficiency in the face of Russian cruise missiles and drones.
"The Patriot missile system is really designed to go after ballistic missiles. It is not as effective on cruise missiles, and it certainly cannot be effective against drones," Kirby stated to CNN, adding that possibilities to fend off hypersonic missiles are "limited."
Kirby described fighting hypersonic missiles as "very, very difficult" but also did not hesitate to add that it would not "surprise" him if "Ukrainian air defenses are limited in their ability to go after hypersonic missiles."
