Comment SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. — The Pentagon has expanded its use of sea transportation to deliver weapons for the war in Ukraine, U.S. defense officials said, after relying heavily on aircraft at the start of Russia’s invasion to get weapons to Kyiv as quickly as possible. The Department of Defense began sending some items by sea a few weeks after the invasion, but greatly expanded the effort This spring, as the United States began supplying Ukraine with artillery and other heavy weapons that require a steady stream of large-caliber ammunition, U.S. defense officials said here at U.S. Transportation Command headquarters as Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen visited recently Hicks. “Once we started providing them with shells, we knew we were going to need more ammunition,” said Army Col. Steven Pathoff, deputy director of operations at the U.S. Transportation Command. “So we could plan a little more ahead and then we could start using more sealift to provide that support and to get it there sometimes even before the request.” The expansion marks a new phase in the campaign after a Russian attack on Kyiv was repelled and Ukraine and its partners settled into an expected war that could drag on for months and possibly years. The Biden administration has approved $12.9 billion in military aid to Ukraine since the Feb. 24 invasion and pledged an additional $2.98 billion in support on Wednesday, Ukraine’s independence day. Battle for Kyiv: Ukrainian bravery, Russian blunders combine to save capital Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to the Washington Post on August 8 in Kyiv about the acquisition of high-tech, modern weapons from Europe and the United States. (Video: Whitney Leaming/The Washington Post) U.S. military officials declined to elaborate on the specific routes used to transport weapons to Ukraine, but said some of the weapons coming from the continental United States find their way directly to the battlefield, while others are used to the replenishment of US stockpiles elsewhere in Europe from which US military officials withdrew supplies to arm Ukraine. While aircraft can reach Europe much faster than the United States, ships can carry massive amounts of cargo that could allow Ukraine to build up a larger arsenal for future campaigns in the war. The effort comes a year after the United States carried out a painful evacuation of more than 124,000 people from Afghanistan, taxing the Pentagon’s fleet of cargo planes. At the height of the operation, a C-17 landed at Hamid Karzai International Airport at least once an hour. That heavy schedule required the Transportation Administration to suspend other operations until the evacuation was complete and then catch the aircraft for maintenance, Putthoff said. During the evacuation, Putthoff said, “everything else in the world was put on hold, what we call ‘broken glass.’ We had to go back and clean it up over the next few months.” Arms deliveries to Ukraine are different, he said. While almost all of the flights that landed in Kabul during the evacuation were military aircraft, the Pentagon has relied heavily on chartered aircraft and ships to transport equipment to Ukraine, leaving the US military free to perform a variety of other transport missions. . At the Transportation Command, Hicks met Aug. 18 with military officials, including Air Force Gen. Jackie Van Ovost, the command’s top officer. Van Ovost said anticipating potential needs and establishing routes as quickly as possible is key. Equipment is usually moved from a military depot by train or truck to an airport or seaport and then arrives at a second location from where it often has to be moved again. “We’re not rated to move it to a location where it’s not being used,” Van Ovost said, speaking to Hicks, the Pentagon’s No. 2 official. “We’re graded end to end.” Van Ovost said the manual calculations the US military had to do in the past to move equipment took days. “Now we have systems in place that allow us to perfect it,” he said. “It’s fewer planes, in the right locations, at the right time. And it’s done with the push of a button and three or four seconds later we have three or four options.” Hicks credited Transcom employees with performing an “impressive ballet” to move everything they needed. After that he told reporters that he wants to make sure the military has the ability to maintain its fleets and keep them the right size. “Ukraine, as challenging as it is, doesn’t really compare to the level of lift and mobility and resupply that has to be done in a major conflict,” Hicks said. Among the weapons the Pentagon has delivered to Ukraine so far are more than 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, 8,500 Javelin anti-armor missiles (critical for destroying Russian tanks), 700 Switchblade drones and 142 Howitzer artillery pieces with more than 900 rounds. On Wednesday, senior Pentagon officials said they expect even more military aid to Ukraine after the recent pledge of $3 billion. “This may be the largest security assistance package to date, but let me be clear: it will not be our last,” Colin Cull, the undersecretary of defense for policy, told a news briefing. “We will continue to consult closely with Ukraine on its short, medium and long-term capability needs.”
War in Ukraine: What you need to know
The last: Grain shipments from Ukraine are being accelerated under the agreement reached by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations in July. Russia’s blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports had sent food prices skyrocketing and raised fears of more famine in the Middle East and Africa. At least 18 ships, including cargoes of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, have departed. The battle: The conflict on the ground continues as Russia uses its heavy artillery advantage to pound Ukrainian forces, which have at times managed to put up stiff resistance. In the south, Ukraine’s hopes rest on the liberation of the Russian-held Kherson region, and eventually Crimea, which Russia seized in 2014. Fears of disaster at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant remain as both sides accuse each other of bombing it. . The weapons: Western arms supplies are helping Ukraine slow Russian advances. US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Missile Systems (HIMARS) allow Ukrainian forces to strike further behind Russian lines against Russian artillery. Russia has used a range of weapons against Ukraine, some of which have drawn the attention and concern of analysts. Photos: Washington Post photographers have been on the ground since the start of the war — here are some of their strongest works. How you can help: Here are ways those in the US can help support the Ukrainian people as well as the donations people have made around the world. Read his full coverage Russia-Ukraine crisis. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for updates and exclusive video.
