U.S. Response to Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

[Albany Rifles]

Perhaps their anxious to get them into Ukraine's hands before a certain date in 2024 risks making it impossible. There won't be many that can be sent of course but if they move quickly and get them there before this campaign seasons ends and perhaps the Ukrainians could find a use? Especially given the current state of 'confusion' in the Russian army leadership and the evidence of pervasive chronic factionalism.

Not to mention software upgrades needed on the M270s & HIMARS as well their fire direction center equipment as well as special tools.

While not having the same range as ATACMS, the GMLRS rounds are actually 2 or 3 generations of tech further along than the ATACMS.

[Monash]

Independents tend to be independent on domestic policy and pretty agnostic on foreign policy...at least in my experience.

Perhaps their anxious to get them into Ukraine's hands before a certain date in 2024 risks making it impossible. There won't be many that can be sent of course but if they move quickly and get them there before this campaign seasons ends and perhaps the Ukrainians could find a use? Especially given the current state of 'confusion' in the Russian army leadership and the evidence of pervasive chronic factionalism.

[TopHatter]

U.S. Considers ATACMS Long-Range Missiles to Bolster Ukraine’s Fight
Officials see new urgency after long reluctance to provide advanced missile system

Behind a paywall unfortunately....

[Albany Rifles]

[SIZE=18px]
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Nice to see the numbers sharply rising, but it bothers me that support among independents, while still a solid majority, is comparatively tepid.

Independents tend to be independent on domestic policy and pretty agnostic on foreign policy...at least in my experience.

[TopHatter]

Most Americans support US arming Ukraine, Reuters/Ipsos poll shows


Bradley Fighting Vehicles of the U.S. army get offloaded from cargo vessel ARC Integrity, after their arrival at the harbour in Bremerhaven, Germany, February 10, 2023.

WASHINGTON, June 28 (Reuters) - Solid majorities of Americans support providing weaponry to Ukraine to defend itself against Russia and believe that such aid demonstrates to China and other U.S. rivals a will to protect U.S. interests and allies, according to a Reuters/Ipsos survey.

The two-day poll that was concluded on Tuesday charted a sharp rise in backing for arming Ukraine, with 65% of the respondents approving of the shipments compared with 46% in a May poll.

Eighty-one percent of Democrats, 56% of Republicans and 57% of independents favor supplying U.S. weapons to Ukraine, according to the latest poll.

The survey was conducted just days after Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the private Wagner mercenary company, launched and then called off a mutiny over what he charged was the Russian defense ministry's mishandling of the war in Ukraine.

The findings appeared to provide firmer backing for U.S. President Joe Biden's policy of doing "whatever it takes" to assist Ukraine in recapturing territory that Russia seized in an initial assault in 2014 and its full-scale invasion 16 months ago.

"This definitely reinforces Biden's decision to be all-in on this," said William Taylor, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine now with the U.S. Institute of Peace.

"The Republican leadership of the House and Senate will also take heart from this," Taylor said. Some right-wing Republican lawmakers have opposed continuing U.S. military support for Ukraine.

The Biden administration has approved 41 weapons packages for Ukraine totaling more than $40 billion since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched what he calls "a special military operation" in February 2022.

The online Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted nationwide, collecting responses from 1,004 adults, including 400 Democrats and 383 Republicans. It had a credibility interval, a measure of precision, of about 4 percentage points in either direction.

The poll found that 76% of Americans believe that providing aid to Ukraine demonstrates to China and other rivals that the United States has "the will and capability to protect our interests, our allies and ourselves."

In other findings, the survey said large majorities of Americans - 67% and 73% - are more likely to support a candidate in next year's U.S. presidential election who will continue military aid to Ukraine and one who backs the NATO alliance.
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Nice to see the numbers sharply rising, but it bothers me that support among independents, while still a solid majority, is comparatively tepid.

[Albany Rifles]

Coming on the heels of the Wagner shenanigans this is also a bit of a gut punch to Russia. And more than refills any combat losses of Bradleys by the UAF.

[TopHatter]

US keeps up weapons shipments to Ukraine with new $500 million package

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States plans to announce as soon as Tuesday a new military aid package for Ukraine worth up to $500 million, keeping up U.S. resolve to help Ukraine against Russia as Moscow deals with a mutiny by some of its soldiers.

The package will include ground vehicles as Ukraine presses its counteroffensive, two U.S. officials said. Expected to be included are 30 Bradley fighting vehicles and 25 Stryker armored personnel carriers, one of the officials said.

As a part of the aid package, Ukraine will receive munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), anti-tank weapons including Javelins and munitions for Patriot and Stinger anti-aircraft systems, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The package was still being finalized and could change, they said. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The package would be funded using Presidential Drawdown Authority, or PDA, which authorizes the president to transfer articles and services from U.S. stocks without congressional approval during an emergency. The material will come from U.S. excess inventory.

The security assistance package would be the 41st approved by the United States for Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022, for a total of more than $40 billion.
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[Gun Grape]

Spoken like someone who didn't have to goto those Effing morons with hat in hand, ie your higher ranks. There's an art to telling someone he's wrong without saying he's wrong.

The art of dealing with seniors is the ability to tell them to "Go F*@k yourself" in such a way that they thank you for your advice

[Monash]

JAG isn't above calling morons, fucking morons.

But at least then it's JAG whose telling some home truths to the superior concerned not the loyal underling. He's quietly attending to the filing some where, minding his own business, whistling while he works.

[Officer of Engineers]

JAG isn't above calling morons, fucking morons.

[Monash]

Spoken like someone who didn't have to goto those Effing morons with hat in hand, ie your higher ranks. There's an art to telling someone he's wrong without saying he's wrong.

Asking permission to speak to someone from legal in private before proceeding any further?

[Officer of Engineers]

Tell me you nothing on how long time defense budgets and contracts work with telling me you fon't know how.

Effing morons!

Spoken like someone who didn't have to goto those Effing morons with hat in hand, ie your higher ranks. There's an art to telling someone he's wrong without saying he's wrong.

[Albany Rifles]

I knew that was exactly what you were going to say.

[TopHatter]

Tell me you nothing on how long time defense budgets and contracts work with telling me you fon't know how.

Effing morons!

I knew that was exactly what you were going to say.

[Albany Rifles]

You rang?

GOP lawmakers target Pentagon’s plan to ramp up missile production for Ukraine
A US House panel has decided to make significant cuts to an ambitious Pentagon proposal to ramp up missile production for Ukraine, dealing a major blow to President Joe Biden’s military spending goal laid out in his most recent budget plan.

According to a report on Sunday, Republican members of the House Committee on Appropriations reduced more than $2.5 billion of the Pentagon spending bill that deals with missile procurement across the military services.

“The Committee is particularly concerned the Department [of Defense] cannot provide realistic cost estimates and has proceeded with these multiyear procurement requests without a firm understanding of each program’s unit cost and production capacity,” Republican lawmakers wrote in the report.

The GOP lawmakers went on to say that they agree with the need for “steady demand” so the defense industrial base can ramp up production, but they countered that the Pentagon “failed to show” how multiyear contracts would meet legal standards.

Members of the committee further explained that several missile programs “are worthy of multiyear procurement consideration due to their enduring importance and steady production” as justification for permitting bulk buys of these munitions.

The committee specifically denied multiyear procurement authority for Raytheon Technologies-manufactured Standard Missile-6 and the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles because lawmakers do not believe the Pentagon has a clear understanding of unit costs and production capacity.

As part of the $2.5 billion missile cut, the spending panel cut much of a Pentagon push for $1.9 billion to support bulk purchases. It redirected money to boost military training, maintenance and operations as well as Pentagon research and development efforts to field new technology and weapons.

The shift in funding may set up a potential fight with other panels in the House of Representatives and Senate that side with the Pentagon’s plans. Democrats are also expected to oppose the legislation over spending differences with Republicans.

The report, which will be made public next week, outlines the funding changes members of the committee made to Biden’s defense budget. It also explains the committee’s priorities in shaping the bill and items of interest or concern for lawmakers.



The latest development comes as the United States has announced another military aid package for Ukraine.

On Tuesday, the Pentagon announced a new $325 million arms package for Ukraine, saying it will include munitions for air defense systems, ammunition and vehicles.

This comes days after the Pentagon announced that it will provide an additional $2.1 billion in weapons aid for Ukraine.

Washington has provided about $38 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia launched its special military operation in late February 2022.

Russian officials have repeatedly announced that flooding Ukraine with weapons will only increase the destruction.

Republican lawmakers have voiced concerns about the haphazard military shipments to Ukraine.
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Tell me you nothing on how long time defense budgets and contracts work with telling me you fon't know how.

Effing morons!