Department of Defense Dithers Over Armored Vehicles for Ukraine as Time for Action Slips Away – Opinion

Two days ago I wrote that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has triggered a new phase in the ongoing war. This week, most of Ukraine’s northern border will be restored to its February 23rd border. Within two-three weeks, we will see the Russians launch an offensive in Donbas. They plan to seize Donetsk/Luhansk and also establish a land link to Crimea. NATO’s weapons are sufficient for defense and partisan operation. But what Ukraine needs to maintain its territorial integrity is tanks, lethal drones, tank and infantry fighting vehicle, as well as tube and rocket artillery and surface-to-air Missile Systems. Rather than merely defend and attrit the Russians, Ukraine must be able to focus the combat power to eject the Russians from Ukraine…including, I hope, all of Donbas and Crimea. Offensive weapons will be required for this. The US and Britain are sending cutting edge weapons to Ukraine, but is it what they really need? For a longer discussion, click here.

Europe sets the pace, as it is frequently the case.

BMP-1 armored personnel vehicles (APCs) were sent by Poland to the UKROP using 58 BMP-1. BMP’s are supposedly “new old stock” from East Germany, having been in storage for years, now ‘freshened up’ in a bit of irony that hopefully will escape no one… but probably will. 🙂#UkraineWar pic.twitter.com/eDmmj4MQnU

— herroqenstein (@HerroqE) April 1, 2022

Although the BMP-1 is now obsolete, it could provide the Ukrainian Army with an operational vehicle that they can rely on for maintenance and operation (assuming neither side takes care of vehicles).

We are working on more assistance. Well, maybe.

The Biden administration will work with allies to transfer Soviet-made tanks to bolster Ukrainian defenses in the country’s eastern Donbas region, a U.S. official said on Friday.

Official said that President Volodymyr Zelesky asked the United States to be an intermediary for Ukraine’s transfer of Soviet-made tanks. Ukrainian soldiers know the use of these tanks. This marks the first time that the United States assisted in the transfer of tanks during the conflict.

Although the official stated that transfers would soon begin, he declined to give details about how many tanks were being sent or where they came from. The official spoke under anonymity as he wasn’t authorized to talk publicly.

Equally possible is the fact that both the reporter and an equally inept “official” don’t have any knowledge about military equipment.

— streiff (@streiffredstate) April 2, 2022

If the Defense Department decides to take a stand, it is possible that S-300 missiles from the Slovaks could be sent to Ukraine.

Many NATO member countries that are ex-Warsaw Pact states have Russian tank inventories. Poland has tanks which are being replaced by US M1 Abrams tank but that have been updated to incorporate thermal imaging devices. The transfer could take place in relatively little time.

It is time.

On Sunday, the Russian Army completed a large-scale withdrawal, not the “repositioning” claimed by the Pentagon. Ukraine controls its entire border with Belarus now and has gained most of the territory at its northern border, which was lost following the invasion on February 24, 2004.

Russian troops illegally occupying the territory of Belarus have returned to Russia and Belarus in order to reequip and resupply and then integrate their replacements. That process will take at least two weeks if Russia shows a normal army’s understanding of logistics. After the rebuilding, these units will be relocated laterally to their east. They’ll then join the Donbas war effort. To secure their border, the Ukrainians will likely rely on Territorial Defense Forces. For the Ukrainian Army to be able to wage war against the false republics in Donbas they will need a strong force with heavy armor and artillery.

It is costly for the US Defense Department to dither. It is not without cost that the US Defense Department will continue to dither after the destruction of their armored and mechanized forces in Kiev. If they aren’t met by comparable Ukrainian forces, war will go on for a long time and negotiations for a peaceful resolution will become more complicated.