'To be fair, countries like Poland and the Czech Republic stand out for the provision of hundreds of of their own main battle tanks so far .. there really is only two solutions: the US M1 tank and the German Leo 2. Both have huge fleets, which could be made available..''Over the past couple of weeks, there has been a torturous debate in Europe and the United States over the provision of modern, western main battle tanks to Ukraine. It has been difficult for several reasons.
First, the lack of evidence in the excuses emerging from the US about their main battle tank, the M1 Abrams, as ‘too complex’ to support in Ukraine. It was an excuse entirely absent when these tanks were sold to Iraq, Egypt and Australia - all of whom possess very light military logistic capabilities.
It is torturous too because of the total lack of courage and will from the leader of Germany. Not only has he procrastinated for months on the dispatch of these vehicles to Ukraine, he has declined to allow third parties to transfer their Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. What nation serious about its security in the 21st century will want to partner with the Germans after this appalling deficit of leadership and strategic courage?
Finally, it is torturous because Ukrainian soldiers are dying on the battlefield because they are being forced to use much older Soviet-era tanks.
To be fair, countries like Poland and the Czech Republic stand out for the provision of hundreds of of their own main battle tanks so far. But the Ukrainians need larger quantities of more advanced tanks to conduct the offensives to come in 2023 (and beyond).
But from the very beginning of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine there have been many arguments over the provision of weapons and technologies to Ukraine. These debates have raged Europe and the US. The main battle tank issue is just the latest in a series of military aid issues.
Whether western main battle tanks are provided should be beyond debate after 11 months of this war. They have proven their utility in offensive and defensive roles, when used wisely, as the Ukrainians have shown. There is also significant historical evidence, and institutional experimentation from different armies, about how the inclusion of tanks in combined arms teams increases the chance of mission success and lowers the number of friendly casualties in doing so.
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I have personal experience with this. I commanded an army combat brigade with M1 tanks in northern Australia. It is a very difficult physical environment (isolated, hot, rainy) with a small logistic capacity. But, if the Australian Army with its very light integral logistic footprint (and lack of tank strategic sustainment for the first decade in service) can run an M1 tank fleet in these circumstances, the Ukrainians definitely can!
A final point – as I have written almost since the start of the war, at some point we need to start providing common fleets to Ukraine. The provision of tanks is the opportunity for NATO to provide Ukraine with a single type to simplify maintenance, training, ammunition, digital communications, etc. At some point, common fleets must be provided to the Ukrainian armed forces. The situation where they have a myriad of western 155mm artillery systems is not sustainable.
Given this need for commonality, and the considerations explored in this thread, there really is only two solutions: the US M1 tank and the German Leo 2. Both have huge fleets, which could be made available. The Korean K2, being provided in large numbers for Korea and Poland, might also become a contender at some point.
When all is said and done, the need for modern western main battle tanks to combat the more advanced Russian armour systems appearing in Ukraine is well established. Tanks are a valuable part of the modern combined arms team. They save lives. Providing them is not escalatory.
This is well within the capacity of America and Europe to do. It just takes a well thought through plan that considers all the issues examined in this article, and some political courage.'
- Mick Ryan,
The Great Tank Debate, January 20, 2023
Context(Help Ukraine take back its territory) - '..There are an estimated 2,000 German-made Leopard tanks .. across Europe..''Even the Pope .. compared the war in Ukraine to the Nazi genocide of the Jews.'(Bulgaria to the rescue) - “We have shown that a world is possible without dependence and fear of Russia.”