By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization
Thousands of rounds of artillery, GPS-Guided GMLRS rockets, air defenses, drones, F-16s and even Abrams tanks are among the US weapons arriving in Ukraine, all part of a massive Pentagon, defense industry and international push to stop, thwart or destroy the Russian invasion. Have the weapons been getting there fast enough and in time? The Pentagon has now launched a new “accelerator cell” effort to identify and fast-track critically needed weapons supplies and support to Ukraine. The highly-specialized unit, called the Joint Production Accelerator Cell, rapidly examines a host of interwoven variables such as US defense industry weapons production capacity, Ukraine’s strategic and tactical needs and a need to finesse a precarious and much needed balance between vigorously supporting Ukraine and preventing a Russian-NATO war.
Army Acquisition Executive Mr. Douglas Bush praised the JPAC’s work as necessary and paradigm changing for Ukraine’s war effort.
“The work they’re (JPAC) doing is very important because they’re not just looking at the Army, they’re looking across the services and they’re looking across the industrial base to try to help us work through how to do this. They’re also doing a bunch of other things related to Ukraine,” Mr. Douglas Bush, Assistant Secretary of the Army, Acquisition, Logistics & Technology, told reporters recently according to a transcript from the Army.
Bush went on to say the JPAC has been extremely impactful in the realm of 155mm artillery ammunition, something for which there continues to be an insatiable Ukrainian demand.
Key Weapons Taking Too Long?
While critics have felt it has taken too long to decide upon and send certain key weapons systems such as ground-fired GMLRS rockets , Abrams tanks and Western fighter jets, the overall quantity of weapons sent .. and the impact they have had .. has been massive. For instance, the arrival of GMLRS months into the war arguably helped turn the tide in Ukraine’s favor as it enabled their forces to attack Russian equipment, force concentrations and mobile ground-rocket launchers with new effectiveness. Without air superiority, ground rockets able to attack well-beyond the 30km range of standard artillery has been vital to the war effort. It seems evident that the arrival of heavier armor such as Bradleys, Strykers and German and British tanks is also having a measurable impact, and Western F-16s are soon to arrive.
Deciding which platforms to send, and when, has required a delicate and nuanced “balancing” effort on the part of the Biden administration, which has been quite vocal about the need to inspire and lead a large-scale international effort to support Ukraine while also avoiding “World War III.” This is not an uncomplicated task, given the volatility and consistency of Putin’s threats and tactics. Avoiding WWIII was part of the reason why the US and NATO did not set up a “no-fly” zone early in the war, despite the fact that Western 5th-generation aircraft would likely quickly establish air superiority. Concern about escalation was also cited as a reason for hesitation for months regarding a decision to put Patriot missile batteries in Ukraine.
Kris Osborn is President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
