“The supply of Patriot systems now, as well as the issue of supplying Ukraine with additional Patriot systems in the future, present problems that Congress will face both in the legislative and in the supervisory spheres of its activity,” American experts write.
According to them, the Patriot battery and related interceptor missiles being sent to Ukraine could be taken from existing units and stocks of US ground forces.
Referring to an article by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), analysts noted that if weapons are taken, for example, from the Central or Indo-Pacific Command of the US Armed Forces, then "potential risks may arise" in these areas.
If the air defense systems are transferred from stocks in the United States, then this may interfere with the training and modernization cycles.
In addition, it will be necessary to train the military to use and maintain missile systems.
It will take several months to prepare, the Research Service added.
In this regard, analysts invited congressmen to discuss how the supply of Patriot to Ukraine will affect the readiness of the US army and combat commands.
They also drew the attention of parliamentarians to whether NATO allies would transfer missile systems to Kyiv and against what weapons SAM systems could be used.
“Given the high cost of interceptor missiles for Patriot complexes, will there be restrictions on the types of enemy systems against which the use of these complexes will be acceptable?”
the document says.
On December 21, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced Washington's intention to provide Ukraine with an additional tranche of $1.85 billion, which includes Patriot air defense systems.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the Russian army is able to cope with American weapons if the complexes are transferred to Kyiv.