odanny
Diamond Member
God Bless America, and Long Live Ukraine!
The United States plans to send Ukraine nearly 100 Stryker combat vehicles as part of a roughly $2.5 billion shipment of arms and equipment that is expected to be announced at a meeting of allies in Germany on Friday, two U.S. officials said on Thursday.
The decision to send the Strykers, which could be delivered within weeks, comes just days after Britain committed to sending Ukraine 14 Challenger battle tanks and the United States, France and Germany agreed to send dozens of armored infantry fighting vehicles, including 50 Bradley Fighting Vehicles. Germany has also been under pressure to authorize the delivery of German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine.
Colin H. Kahl, the U.S. under secretary of defense for policy, told reporters on Wednesday that Ukraine needed more mechanized infantry and armored personal carriers to punch through heavily fortified Russian defenses.
“The Russians are really digging in,” he said. “They’re digging in. They’re digging trenches, they’re putting in these dragon’s teeth, laying mines.”
“To enable the Ukrainians to break through given Russian defenses,” he added, “the emphasis has been shifted to enabling them to combine fire and maneuver in a way that will prove to be more effective.”
The Stryker is a medium-weight, eight-wheeled armored vehicle that can carry troops and weapons. It was first deployed by the Pentagon in Iraq after the U.S. invasion in 2003.
The latest package for Ukraine, reported earlier by The Washington Post, would also include more Bradley fighting vehicles; ammunition for HIMARS rocket artillery; 155-millimeter and 105-millimeter artillery rounds; other vehicles; and air defense systems, one of the officials said.
The U.S. announcement comes weeks after the Biden administration announced a $3 billion package of military assistance for Ukraine that will include Bradleys, which officials said would be especially helpful to Ukrainian units fighting Russian forces in the Donbas region of the country’s east.
Western officials fear that Ukraine has only a narrow window before an anticipated Russian springtime offensive, and have been working quickly to give Kyiv sophisticated weapons that they had earlier held out on sending because of concerns of provoking Moscow.
www.nytimes.com
www.military.com
The United States plans to send Ukraine nearly 100 Stryker combat vehicles as part of a roughly $2.5 billion shipment of arms and equipment that is expected to be announced at a meeting of allies in Germany on Friday, two U.S. officials said on Thursday.
The decision to send the Strykers, which could be delivered within weeks, comes just days after Britain committed to sending Ukraine 14 Challenger battle tanks and the United States, France and Germany agreed to send dozens of armored infantry fighting vehicles, including 50 Bradley Fighting Vehicles. Germany has also been under pressure to authorize the delivery of German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine.
Colin H. Kahl, the U.S. under secretary of defense for policy, told reporters on Wednesday that Ukraine needed more mechanized infantry and armored personal carriers to punch through heavily fortified Russian defenses.
“The Russians are really digging in,” he said. “They’re digging in. They’re digging trenches, they’re putting in these dragon’s teeth, laying mines.”
“To enable the Ukrainians to break through given Russian defenses,” he added, “the emphasis has been shifted to enabling them to combine fire and maneuver in a way that will prove to be more effective.”
The Stryker is a medium-weight, eight-wheeled armored vehicle that can carry troops and weapons. It was first deployed by the Pentagon in Iraq after the U.S. invasion in 2003.
The latest package for Ukraine, reported earlier by The Washington Post, would also include more Bradley fighting vehicles; ammunition for HIMARS rocket artillery; 155-millimeter and 105-millimeter artillery rounds; other vehicles; and air defense systems, one of the officials said.
The U.S. announcement comes weeks after the Biden administration announced a $3 billion package of military assistance for Ukraine that will include Bradleys, which officials said would be especially helpful to Ukrainian units fighting Russian forces in the Donbas region of the country’s east.
Western officials fear that Ukraine has only a narrow window before an anticipated Russian springtime offensive, and have been working quickly to give Kyiv sophisticated weapons that they had earlier held out on sending because of concerns of provoking Moscow.
Russia-Ukraine War: Allies Will Ship More Heavy Arms to Ukraine (Published 2023)
The latest American military aid package amounts to $2.5 billion and includes nearly 100 Stryker combat vehicles.
M1126 Stryker Combat Vehicle
Mission: Armored Transport, Logistics, Land Attack Vehicle
