odanny
Diamond Member
Time to get these bad boys on the battlefield. Slava Ukraine!
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — Ukrainian troops will begin training on American M1 Abrams tanks in Germany in the next few weeks, U.S. defense officials say, in what would be a major step in arming Kyiv.
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III made the announcement on Friday morning during a meeting with allies at Ramstein Air Base. U.S. defense officials said that about 31 tanks were expected to arrive in Germany to kick off a training program for Ukrainian troops that is expected to take 10 weeks. The tanks could reach the battlefields in Ukraine by the fall, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss security matters.
“I am confident that this equipment, and the training that accompanies it, will put Ukraine’s forces in position to succeed on the battlefield,” Mr. Austin told a news conference after the meeting, standing alongside Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
General Milley said the M1 tanks coming are “training tanks,” so they are not combat ready. But, he added, “I do think the M1 tank when its delivered, will make a difference.”
That is a vastly accelerated timetable from what the Pentagon had initially projected, and officials said it means that Abrams tanks could get to Ukraine in time to play a part in the counteroffensive that Ukraine is expected to launch soon. The counteroffensive is expected to begin in weeks, and the Abrams tanks could arrive in time to help Ukrainian troops hold onto recaptured territory, one of the officials said.
Defense officials had initially said that the M1 Abrams tanks would not arrive in Ukraine until next year. But since January, when the Biden administration announced that it would send the tanks, senior defense officials have said that they wanted to speed up the timeline.
Mr. Austin, during remarks on Friday at U.S.-led talks with top defense officials from more than 40 nations, a collective known as the Ukraine Contact Group, said that the continued deliveries of weapons systems and ammunition and tanks to Kyiv “underscore just how badly the Kremlin miscalculated.”
Mr. Austin’s trip to Europe — he arrived in Germany on Thursday after meetings with top officials in Sweden — has been overshadowed by the investigation of the leak of hundreds of top-secret national security documents, said to have been carried out by a 21-year old National Guard airman in Massachusetts. Many of the documents relate to the war in Ukraine.
“I know many of you have been following the reports of unauthorized disclosure of sensitive and classified U.S. material,” Mr. Austin said. “I take this issue very seriously.”
He praised the Ukraine Contact Group for its “commitment to reject efforts to divide us.”
Many of the countries in the group are NATO members. The group has met regularly at the base for the past year to discuss and coordinate military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine.
The Ukrainian troops training on the Abrams tanks will have to go through qualification testing, maintenance training and drills on how to operate the advanced American battle tank. They also will have to learn how to coordinate tank maneuvers with other military units, in what the American military calls “combined arms” maneuvers.
www.nytimes.com
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — Ukrainian troops will begin training on American M1 Abrams tanks in Germany in the next few weeks, U.S. defense officials say, in what would be a major step in arming Kyiv.
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III made the announcement on Friday morning during a meeting with allies at Ramstein Air Base. U.S. defense officials said that about 31 tanks were expected to arrive in Germany to kick off a training program for Ukrainian troops that is expected to take 10 weeks. The tanks could reach the battlefields in Ukraine by the fall, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss security matters.
“I am confident that this equipment, and the training that accompanies it, will put Ukraine’s forces in position to succeed on the battlefield,” Mr. Austin told a news conference after the meeting, standing alongside Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
General Milley said the M1 tanks coming are “training tanks,” so they are not combat ready. But, he added, “I do think the M1 tank when its delivered, will make a difference.”
That is a vastly accelerated timetable from what the Pentagon had initially projected, and officials said it means that Abrams tanks could get to Ukraine in time to play a part in the counteroffensive that Ukraine is expected to launch soon. The counteroffensive is expected to begin in weeks, and the Abrams tanks could arrive in time to help Ukrainian troops hold onto recaptured territory, one of the officials said.
Defense officials had initially said that the M1 Abrams tanks would not arrive in Ukraine until next year. But since January, when the Biden administration announced that it would send the tanks, senior defense officials have said that they wanted to speed up the timeline.
Mr. Austin, during remarks on Friday at U.S.-led talks with top defense officials from more than 40 nations, a collective known as the Ukraine Contact Group, said that the continued deliveries of weapons systems and ammunition and tanks to Kyiv “underscore just how badly the Kremlin miscalculated.”
Mr. Austin’s trip to Europe — he arrived in Germany on Thursday after meetings with top officials in Sweden — has been overshadowed by the investigation of the leak of hundreds of top-secret national security documents, said to have been carried out by a 21-year old National Guard airman in Massachusetts. Many of the documents relate to the war in Ukraine.
“I know many of you have been following the reports of unauthorized disclosure of sensitive and classified U.S. material,” Mr. Austin said. “I take this issue very seriously.”
He praised the Ukraine Contact Group for its “commitment to reject efforts to divide us.”
Many of the countries in the group are NATO members. The group has met regularly at the base for the past year to discuss and coordinate military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine.
The Ukrainian troops training on the Abrams tanks will have to go through qualification testing, maintenance training and drills on how to operate the advanced American battle tank. They also will have to learn how to coordinate tank maneuvers with other military units, in what the American military calls “combined arms” maneuvers.
U.S. Says It Will Begin Training Ukraine on Abrams Tanks Within Weeks
The 31 M1 Abrams tanks promised by Washington could reach Ukraine by the fall, far sooner than expected, American officials say. Here is what we’re covering:
