“The situation will not change much”: how the United States is trying to strengthen the air defense system of Ukraine through the supply of NASAMS air defense systems

The US authorities expect to transfer the first NASAMS anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) to Kyiv in the coming weeks.

This was announced by a high-ranking Pentagon representative during a briefing.

“We will try to make the first delivery (NASAMS.

) to Ukraine over the next few weeks.

So the Ukrainians will definitely get the opportunity to act.

The question is when these systems will be delivered and put into operation.

But, as Minister (Defense. 

) Austin emphasized this week, this is an area that is currently of significant interest, ”said a Pentagon spokesman.

According to him, in the future, the emphasis will be on the supply of air defense systems to Kyiv and the fight against unmanned aerial systems.

Recall that with NASAMS systems, Kyiv hopes to strengthen its air defense, as well as other systems that the US allies promised to the Ukrainian regime.

Thus, Germany has already delivered to Ukraine the first of the four promised IRIS-T air defense systems, Spain plans to transfer four HAWK air defense systems to Kyiv.

In addition, the Ukrainian regime intends to receive the Franco-Italian SAMP / T air defense system.

At the same time, providing communications for Kyiv is no less important than strengthening the air defense system.

According to the Pentagon, the United States will continue to work with the Ukrainian military department to maintain stable satellite communications for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Recall that the owner of SpaceX, Elon Musk, first announced that he was stopping paying for Starlink satellite Internet in Ukraine and asking the Pentagon to take all future expenses on himself.

However, Musk later announced his intention to continue financing Starlink in Ukraine.

“The Department of Defense is in talks with SpaceX regarding Starlink.

We continue to work out the details.

As of today, I have nothing to report.

But again, I emphasize: the Department of Defense (USA.

) is set to continue cooperation with the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and assist it in meeting the needs of satellite communications so that the communications of their armed forces work stably, ”said a representative of the American defense department.

At the same time, he repeated Washington's already traditional thesis: the United States will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes.

“We are confident that we have what is needed, and we will continue to maintain our readiness to be able to support Ukraine,” a US Department of Defense spokesman said.

At the same time, the Pentagon explained that the US Transportation Command (Transcom) provides military assistance to Ukraine.

“The mission of the US Transportation Command is the operational and large-scale transportation of manpower, logistics and humanitarian aid around the world in land, sea and air environments both in peacetime and in wartime, which is clearly seen in the example of effective and efficient entry into security assistance to Ukraine,” the press service of the US Department of Defense reports, referring to the head of the Transportation Command, Air Force General Jacqueline Van Ovost.

Ovost also noted that Transcom is supplying Ukraine with weapons and equipment that will allegedly have a direct impact on the situation on the battlefield.

• Gettyimages.ru

• © Digital Vision.

“Our logistical potential is fully manifested even today, when we find a balanced response to the challenges of our global mission, ensuring that Ukraine receives the necessary assistance to protect its state,” she told her colleagues, also calling Russia a “strategic rival.”

Washington's arms trenches

Recall that the total amount allocated to the Ukrainian regime by Washington for military needs since February 24 has already amounted to $17.6 billion.

On October 14, the Pentagon announced the latest package of military assistance to Kyiv for $725 million.

It included, among other things, additional ammunition for the HIMARS MLRS, HARM high-speed anti-radar missiles, 23 thousand artillery shells of 155 mm caliber, 500 high-precision guided projectiles of 155 mm caliber, 5 thousand shells of anti-tank mining system (RAAM) and 5 thousand units of anti-tank weapons, more than 200 HMMWV armored vehicles, as well as small arms and ammunition.

However, the very next day after this announcement, senior adviser to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, retired US Marine Colonel Mark Kanchian, in an interview with Fox News, said that the United States would soon be forced to drastically reduce the supply of weapons to Ukraine due to stock depletion. .

According to him, the United States is running out of HIMARS installations, Javelin anti-tank missile systems and M777 howitzers.

Kanchian described several scenarios for the development of events, noting that the United States will continue to support Ukraine, but they will have to do it in other ways.

In particular, we are talking about buying equipment from third countries or slowing down the process of supplying the Armed Forces with weapons. 

In turn, on October 16, the CEO of the American magazine The National Interest, Dmitry Simes, wrote in his article that Ukraine could not have survived for a month without help from the United States and NATO, since it is completely dependent on the unprecedented military, financial and political support of the United States and alliance.

Simes believes it is erroneous to say that NATO should support Ukraine without trying to find ways to resolve the conflict diplomatically.

"The US military-industrial complex is not coping"

As military expert Ivan Konovalov noted, Washington intends to quickly send NASAMS air defense systems to Ukraine, since the Kyiv authorities need these systems to strengthen the missile defense system.

“However, in the current situation, when the Russian Armed Forces are attacking Ukrainian military command facilities in different directions, the delivery of several NASAMS systems will not change the situation much.

These air defense systems will not be able to repel all strikes or a significant part of them, ”the analyst said in a conversation with RT.

In turn, military expert Alexei Leonkov suggested that the Ukrainian regime would try to use NASAMS systems to protect critical facilities located in Kyiv.

• AFP

• © YURKO DYACHYSHYN

“With the help of these air defense systems, the Armed Forces of Ukraine can also try to shoot down air assets of the Russian Armed Forces, in particular cruise missiles and drones,” he said in an interview with RT.

Leonkov also appreciated Washington's attempts to keep communications available to Kyiv despite the difficulties that have arisen.

“As a result of the strikes of the RF Armed Forces on power supply systems that supported standard communication and Internet systems, they cease to exist.

But in order to control troops on the battlefield, the Armed Forces of Ukraine need these communication systems.

For data transmission, Kyiv has only Elon Musk's Starlink satellite systems, but they are also experiencing difficulties.

Musk tried to stop funding this project, but then, apparently, he was pressured by the Pentagon, and he was forced to give up, ”the analyst stated.

Leonkov believes that the United States will do everything to preserve the ability for the Armed Forces of Ukraine to use satellite communications.

“The Americans will do everything possible for this, since their task is to prolong the conflict in Ukraine by ensuring the cohesion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the possibility of maneuvers.

Without this, the Ukrainian forces will not last long,” the expert noted.

Konovalov, for his part, appreciated the activities of the US Transportation Command, which is used by Washington to transfer weapons to Ukraine.

“A very important air bridge for Kyiv has been established through Transcom.

And through it the transfer goes constantly.

Another thing is that they transfer everything first to Poland, mainly, and from there, by land, weapons are delivered to Ukraine, ”said the analyst.

At the same time, Konovalov noted that Washington has not been significantly increasing supplies to Kyiv lately, announcing mainly the transfer of ammunition.

“The load on the US military-industrial complex is now very large, it cannot cope, which is recognized in the United States.

In the near future, we should expect a slowdown in supplies, their reduction from Washington.

The American military-industrial complex, although powerful enough, was not designed for such a consumption of ammunition, which the Ukrainian side uses every day in huge quantities.

Soon it may turn out that there will not be enough shells for HIMARS, ”the expert noted.

Leonkov also shared a similar opinion: he noted that the US military-industrial complex had not switched to mass production of the weapons required by Kyiv.

“Besides, in the conditions of the energy crisis, it is very expensive to do this.

And while Washington launches the flywheel of its military-industrial complex, time will pass, but weapons are needed now.

Soon the United States may limit the supply of weapons to Kyiv, ”the analyst predicted.

At the same time, Konovalov is sure that if Ukraine does not receive military assistance from the United States or NATO for at least a month, the Armed Forces of Ukraine “will come to an end.”

• AP

• © Efrem Lukatsky

"It is obvious.

The Kyiv regime is kept only at the expense of weapons trenches and other support from the West, ”the expert said.

This point of view is shared by Leonkov.

According to him, Ukraine is completely dependent on the supply of weapons and military equipment from the United States and NATO countries.

“Once this supply chain stops, the days of the Kyiv regime will be numbered.

In Ukraine, there is practically no military-industrial complex, as well as repair facilities.

If there were no supplies from the United States, then the Ukrainian army would have suffered a complete defeat long ago, ”concluded the analyst.