Earlier delivery comes as the Russian spring offensive draws near.
The Defense Department announced this week that Abram tanks and Patriot missile systems for Ukraine are on track to be sent sooner than initially planned.
The original plan called for the Pentagon to send Ukraine thirty-one of the newer M1A2 Abrams. But Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has approved sending the older M1A1 version since the newer tanks could have taken a year or two to build. The older versions will be easier for the Ukrainian military to learn to use and maintain.
“DoD, in close coordination with Ukraine, made the decision to buy the M1A1 variant which will enable us to significantly expedite delivery timelines, and deliver this important capability to Ukraine by the fall of this year,” said Pentagon press secretary, Brigadier General Patrick Ryder.
Separately, according to General Ryder, Patriot surface-to-air guided missile defense systems will also be deployed sooner than initially planned. Ukrainian soldiers are completing training on the systems at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, faster than had been anticipated.
“A tank by itself is not a military capability. You have to send the whole package, and that includes ammunition, vehicles to maintain it, fuel, and you have to do the training on the system so that it can be sustained in combat,” Army acquisition chief Doug Bush said earlier this month. “Efforts are underway to do it as quickly as possible.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For discernment for Pentagon officials as they expedite military aid to Ukraine.
- For wisdom for Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin as he heads the U.S. military.
- For the president and his administration as they continue to send assistance to Ukraine.
Sources: Defense News, The Hill
