Servicemen of the Ukrainian armed forces ride on an armored personnel carrier in the settlement of Bohdanivka, located in a disengagement area near the contact line with Russian-backed separatist rebels, in Donetsk Region, November 9. REUTERS/Oleksandr Klymenko
Daily Signal: Setting the Record Straight on the Value of US Military Aid to Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine—U.S. military aid is a luxury, not a necessity, for Ukrainian combat operations to counter Russian aggression. From what I’ve seen, the country is perfectly capable of fighting its own war—with or without the American military aid.
However, recent news reports and social media commentaries highlight the fact that Ukraine’s armed forces suffered at least 13 combat deaths during the 55 days in which the Trump administration withheld nearly $400 million in military aid from mid-July to mid-September.
The implication is that Ukraine is treading water in its war effort, suspended over the abyss of defeat at Russia’s hands only by the lift of uninterrupted U.S. military aid. The instant that assistance is cut off, this line of thinking goes, Ukraine’s ability to defend itself founders.
Well, that conclusion doesn’t jibe with what I’ve observed while covering the war, often from the front lines, since the summer of 2014.
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WNU Editor: I concur with the above analysis that U.S. military aid has not made a serious difference on the battlefield that many in the U.S. which it did. And the reason why is simple. There are so many weapons and tons of ammunition in Ukraine that they could use existing stockpiles and fight for years before they run out.
6 comments:
Written by Russian agent ,lol!
They got their ass handed to them in every encounter with Russian forces, of course javelins would make one hell of a difference.
It is not how much ammunition and weapons you have, but the mix of weapons, how they are deployed, execution, etc.
You can read this in the book "Charlie Wilson's War." The paramilitary former green Beret working for the CIA understood this. If you understand the air defenses of North Vietnam, you understand this. If you understand military procurement, you understand this. When the US military is aware of a new weapon system, they don't immediately freak out. Of course they try to develop a comparable or better weapons system than the other side, but they also try to fill the gap by changing training and tactics.
I'll agree with Fazman. Those javelins make a bigger difference than blankets and wampum that the previous administration gave.
Jackson is a gadfly. No one takes him seriously. Irony, however, is you throwing around the term stupid.
What's the matter Antitroll ,Putler won't let you kill any baby's!!
US aid to Ukraine is less about the war in the Donbas, but getting the Ukrainian military ready to an extent that Russia will not escalate the conflict further should they appear to be losing.
Russia has already militarily escalated against Ukraine three times. First during its invasion of Crimea. Second during its initial invasion of the Donbas. And the third when it stopped Ukrainian forces from destroying the rebels in June 2016 when Moscow sent in tanks and directed artillery fire against Ukraine from its units in Russia.
So Russia has made it very clear that if Ukraine seeks to defeat the proxy army, which it can do, it will escalate things.
The military aid is therefore to support Ukraine's capability so that Russia won't dare to invade elsewhere (like Kharkov) or seek to expand its conquest in the Donbas. It is also a sign of political commitment to Ukraine that it won't be abandoned and have to fend for itself.
For now, Ukraine's military is fine. What is more important to Ukraine is continued political and economic reform, and that means a decline in corruption.
Chris
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