US Abrams tanks needed for Ukrainian army training have arrived in Germany a little earlier than expected and are on their way to the Grafenwehr military base, where training will begin in two to three weeks, officials said. Americans.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told the Senate Appropriations Committee defense subcommittee that the United States had deployed “a few tanks in theatre” so the Ukrainians could start training on them .
He said that by the time of training, which is expected to last about 10 weeks, the Abrams tanks being built for Ukraine will be ready.
A US official said 31 M1A1 Abrams tanks, which will be used for training, arrived at the port of Bremerhaven in Germany over the weekend and will be delivered to the base in the coming days.
Their arrival at the Gafenwehr base is about two weeks ahead of schedule, which was set at the April meeting of European and other military leaders in Germany, where Ukraine’s needs in a war with the Russia were discussed.
The tanks the United States provides to Ukraine are built to its armed forces’ specifications and will be delivered to Ukraine in early fall, just as tank crews have completed their training.
Tank training will be the latest and deadliest phase of combat training the United States conducts for the Ukrainian military to improve their chances of gaining superiority and breaking through combat formations. Russians.
Over the past few months, the US Army has trained more than 8,800 Ukrainians, including the joint use of the Stryker armored personnel carrier, the Bradley infantry fighting vehicle and the M109 Paladin self-propelled artillery mounts on the battlefield.
During Thursday’s hearing, Republican Senator Susan Collins urged Austin to quickly hand over the tanks to the Ukrainian military to bring them to the battlefield.
“We’re doing our best to expedite the delivery of these tanks, and it’s expected to be early fall,” Austin said.
Collins and others noted the urgency of the fighting in Ukraine, and she called on Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley to be blunt about Ukraine’s needs.
The Defense Ministry leadership must not let budgetary concerns become an obstacle to finding more weapons if that is what Kiev needs for a successful counteroffensive, said Collins, a senior subcommittee Republicans.
“It is important that the administration delivers what Ukraine needs in time to protect and reclaim its sovereign territory,” she said. “We expect the administration not to wait until the last moment if the Ukrainians ask for more before the end of the fiscal year.”
Speaking about the wider implications of the war, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham asked Milley how a Russian victory could affect China and his reasoning on taking control of the self-governing island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims.
“I think the Chinese side is following the war between Russia and Ukraine very closely,” Milley said, adding that if Russian President Vladimir Putin is successful, then “China will learn some lessons.”
“It may not be the only defining moment, but I think it will factor into their decision-making process on whether to attack to take control of Taiwan. So I think the outcome of events in Ukraine is crucial to much broader issues than just Ukraine,” Milley said.
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