'..Providing more aid to Ukraine won’t significantly raise the risk of a wider war — but it could shorten the existing conflict.''Even more urgent than the F-16s, Breedlove told me, is the provision of ATACMS. Its rockets could be fired from the same launchers as the HIMARS system that the Ukrainians already possess. “It would take less than a day to incorporate into their fighting force,” he said. “That munition provides long-range, precision strike with a heavier warhead. It would bring under fire the entire peninsula of Crimea and, if employed correctly, would make Crimea untenable for Russian military forces.”
Yet the administration still won’t provide ATACMS, citing fear of provoking Putin and claiming that there are too few in the U.S. arsenal. In fact, the U.S. Army has as many as 3,000 ATACMS; sending a few hundred to Ukraine won’t deplete U.S. defenses. “This is BS,” tweeted retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, a former commander of U.S. Army Europe. “If we don’t have enough, why haven’t we increased production? This is about a shortage of political will, not a shortage of ATACMS.”
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..the Biden administration is not doing enough to contest Putin’s reprehensible power play.
Retired Adm. James Stavridis, another former commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Europe, told me last week: “We are seeing a dangerous potential precedent in not more aggressively contesting Russia’s de facto maritime control of a large swath of international waters in the Black Sea.” He argues that NATO ships should start escorting merchant vessels carrying food and fuel, keep NATO combat aircraft on constant patrol over the Black Sea, and provide anti-ship missiles and drones to Ukraine to keep the Russian fleet at bay.
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The Biden administration deserves praise for committing more than $43 billion in military aid to Ukraine. Most recently, the administration agreed to send badly needed cluster munitions. But it continues to drag its feet on providing other critical assistance that Ukraine desperately needs at a time when its counteroffensive is not advancing as rapidly as hoped.
Breedlove doesn’t mince words in explaining why the administration isn’t more aggressive: “Our administration does not want to see Ukraine succeed wildly,” he says, “because we are deterred, we are intimidated, and we don’t want Mr. Putin to widen or deepen the war.”
Biden’s fears, once understandable, now seem excessive. The Ukrainian drone strikes inside Russia should relieve exaggerated fears about the consequences of crossing Putin’s supposed red lines. Providing more aid to Ukraine won’t significantly raise the risk of a wider war — but it could shorten the existing conflict.'
- Max Boot,
Ukraine is crossing Russia’s ‘red lines’ with impunity. It’s a lesson for Biden, August 28, 2023
Context'..Ukraine .. what they need now is a firepower boost with M26 cluster rockets'(Ukraine needs ATACMs) - '..They haven't even asked Manufacturer to increase production.' - Ben Hodges(Ukraine needs ATACMs) - '..increase production capacity .. admitting Ukraine to NATO, depriving Russia of .. imperial fantasies..'(The Wall Street Journal) - Let Ukraine Direct Its Own Counteroffensive