Mission Support and Test Services, under contract with the US National Nuclear Safety Administration, which is part of the US Department of Energy, plans to install network systems for the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. RT got acquainted with the tender.
“Mission Support and Test Services, LLC (MSTS), under contract with the Nevada branch of the US Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration, is looking for a contractor to assist in the procurement and installation of network systems for the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense,” the document says.
The project provides for the installation and interaction with other existing systems of various institutions of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine throughout the country. The main place of work is Kiev.
The American administration expects to implement the project within two years, and organize the supply of equipment from October 2020.
The performers will be led by MSTS. They will have to install IT equipment, the delivery of which will be carried out from the United States, as well as auxiliary means - routers, switches, firewalls, servers. In addition, contractors will be required to develop technical documentation and provide training.
The ministry's application emphasizes that local personnel must have access to Ukrainian military bases. And the participants from the American side need access to the penultimate level of secrecy according to NATO classification.
“Requirements: Provide management, technical and other personnel necessary to support the expansion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces network. (Personnel from among Ukrainian citizens must have access to Ukrainian military bases.) American personnel must have access to the penultimate level of secrecy according to NATO classification, a valid foreign passport and an official permit to visit the country, ”the tender notes.
As military expert Alexei Leonkov said in an interview with RT , the United States is trying to rebuild the information system in Ukraine according to NATO standards, in order to then test the tools of "network-centric war" there. This concept appeared back in 1998 and provides for four phases of warfare. The first of them is the achievement of information superiority by destroying the intelligence system, data center and command post of the enemy.
According to Leonkov, a "network-centric war" requires clear interaction of all participants in the information space, but at the moment the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine does not have such technologies.
“There is no unified cyberspace control system in Ukraine, all players are acting out of sync. Even on the front lines, things don't happen synchronously. Now, apparently, the United States wants to raise the level of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the information-military space in those units that have been trained in accordance with NATO standards, have received weapons and communications equipment, ”the expert added.
Leonkov also pointed out that the interconnection of network systems at military facilities could allow Washington to control what is happening in Ukraine, even from a distance, for example, from the European command center.
Meanwhile, Konstantin Blokhin, a researcher at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted that the US considers the information space a key area of warfare in the future, which is why Washington is strengthening cyber capabilities not only at home, but also at its satellites .
“Americans see cyberspace as an area for future wars. It is promising and priority for the United States, along with space. Now the main investments and developments will be directed to these two areas, "- explained the interlocutor of RT.
- US military personnel
- Reuters
- © Rick Wilking
Help from "Biggest Supporter"
The Ukrainian defense sector receives intensive support from the United States - arms deliveries, joint exercises and annual funding. Moreover, the need for such assistance in Washington is often justified by the alleged "Russian threat".
For example, in July, US senators from the Foreign Affairs Committee proposed to increase the amount of subsidies to Kiev to $ 300 million. According to one of the authors of the initiative, Robert Menendez, the United States is Ukraine's “biggest supporter”, whose security needs to be further strengthened due to “constant pressure from the side of Moscow ".
Earlier, the Pentagon announced the provision of military assistance to Kiev in the amount of $ 250 million. According to the department, this once again confirms the commitment to the long-standing defense relationship between the United States and Ukraine. The US Department of Defense noted that Kiev is a "critical partner" acting at the forefront of "strategic rivalry" with Moscow.
The Pentagon also clarified that part of the amount will be used to strengthen cyber defense and strategic ties of Ukraine "in order to counter Russian offensive operations in cyberspace and disinformation." The budget also includes the purchase of weapons.
According to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Washington considers it reasonable to provide military assistance to Kiev and has already transferred weapons to Ukraine several times to protect it from "Russian aggression."
“We are proud of this, we believe that it makes sense for freedom, Europe, peace and sovereignty of Ukraine,” Pompeo assured.
- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
- Reuters
- © Kevin Lamarque / Pool
The States are systematically increasing military assistance in Ukraine, meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry notes. As the official representative of the department, Maria Zakharova, said, Washington intends in this way to consolidate its influence on the military sphere of the republic.
“The United States is obviously determined to use the granting of Ukraine's expanded NATO partner status to consolidate its influence on the country's defense sector. Washington has always actively pushed Kiev to reform the power structures and the transition of the military-industrial complex to NATO standards, ”she said.
At the same time, Zakharova stressed that the actions of the American side feed the myth about the need to protect Ukraine from a certain "Russian threat" and justify the military pumping of NATO's eastern flank.
We will remind, on June 12, Ukraine received the status of a partner in the expanded capabilities of the North Atlantic Alliance. Sweden, Finland, Australia, Georgia and Jordan have the same status.
According to Konstantin Blokhin, the United States is using Ukraine to exert military pressure on Russia, and the Kiev authorities support this policy.
“Ukraine is under the control of the West and is an outpost in the vanguard of“ containing ”Russia. Kiev is ready to provide such services to the United States. In fact, Ukraine is a part of the American military infrastructure, which the United States is trying to impose on Russia from all sides, ”the political scientist said.
"Beyond defense needs"
It is worth noting that on August 9, US Defense Minister Mark Esper announced his intention to move American army units closer to the Russian border to "contain" Moscow. The redeployment is associated with a reduction in the contingent of military personnel in Germany, the minister said.
In addition, in July it became known about NATO's plans to strengthen the bloc's presence in the Black Sea. Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Taran agreed on this during telephone conversations.
Strengthening the military power of NATO and the United States near the borders of the Russian Federation does not go unnoticed by the Russian authorities.
“We have expressed concern about the build-up of NATO's military capabilities near the Russian borders. The scale of the alliance's preparations goes far beyond the needs of self-defense, and this line leads to increased tension and aggravation of the deficit of confidence, "Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko, in turn, added that, if necessary, Russia will take steps to strengthen the western border. He also expressed regret over the negative development of the international security situation and recalled that Moscow is ready to de-escalate tensions.
"Russia proposes to move the areas of major exercises from the contact zone, but we have not received any intelligible reaction to these proposals of ours," the diplomat stated.