America Sends Long-Range Weapons to Ukraine
Prior Commitment or Renewed Vigor?
Initially, rocket launchers took the stage, followed by tanks and F16s. In a sequence of events, the United States created and subsequently lifted its own restrictions. A timely and well-executed decision to provide long-range weapons to Ukraine has the potential to significantly alter the dynamics on the Ukrainian battlefield.
According to a Politico report, the United States may have delivered a long-range weapon to Ukraine:
The Pentagon has successfully tested a new long-range precision bomb for Ukraine that is expected to arrive on the battlefield as soon as Wednesday, according to two U.S. officials and two other people with knowledge of the talks.
Ukraine will receive its first batch of Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bombs, a brand new long-range weapon made by Boeing that even the U.S. doesn’t have in its inventory, according to the four people, all of whom were granted anonymity to discuss matters ahead of an announcement.
The Impact of GLSDB Munitions
Money for this was paid for in the aid package announced in February last year, after which the United States supplied a huge package of 20 long range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine. The package was so huge that Ukraine used the weapons for couple of days. I have no idea how many GLSDB bombs were given to Ukraine. Let’s hope it is in the hundreds. Anything less will not make any impact.
The precise number of units delivered to Ukraine remains uncertain. We will wait for either further leaks or confirmation through Ukraine’s utilization of these weapons. If the United States indeed provided them in substantial quantities, it could significantly impact the battlefield by extending Ukraine’s artillery range to cover the majority of Russian-occupied territory.
Everything, except parts of Crimea.
The Leaky White House
There was absolutely no justifiable reason to publicize this information. A government official even disclosed the expected arrival date in Ukraine. Maybe, the next time, the Kremlin can expect to be handed the specifics of where the weapons are intended to land.
The Biden White House’s apparent susceptibility to leaks, is as bad as the Trump White House. The decision to disclose this information seems highly political, possibly aimed at mitigating criticisms of the White House’s perceived inaction in the Ukraine conflict.
Will the United States Change Course?
The United States has fallen off the Ukraine support grid, with this decline beginning around the middle of last year and persisting to the present day. CIA Director Bill Burns underscored the crucial need for supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression in a recent op-ed.
“It’s a relatively modest investment with significant geopolitical returns for the United States and notable returns for American industry. Keeping arms flowing to Ukraine’s front lines, offers a chance to ensure a long-term win for Ukraine and a strategic loss for Russia.
For the United States to walk away from the conflict at this crucial moment and cut off support to Ukraine would be an own goal of historic proportions,” Mr Burns said.
He’s got to convince his boss to move past those imaginary redlines. The United States has been holding Ukraine back for over two years, driven by a fear of provoking Putin. They’ve pulled the reins on Ukraine, sometimes urging them to tone down their aggressive strategies and most often by withholding the crucial tools needed for victory in the war. Whether through intentional delays in supplying weapons or providing them in paltry quantities, the U.S. has played a restrictive role.
The United States did not allow Ukraine to win the war. Nor did it allow them to lose the war. And that is exactly where the battlefield is today: In a positional lock.
This has, on numerous occasions, provided Vladimir Putin with the opportunity to regroup and devise improved strategies to counter the Ukrainian military, while the White House still maintains its stance on refraining from attacking assets within Russia. Why?
Each time Ukraine takes the risk and challenges the redlines, Putin merely wipes them away. The routine drone attacks on Moscow, the cross-border raid on Belgorod by Russian separatists, and the near-daily assaults on Russian economic assets — all failed to provoke a response from Putin.
His ladder of escalation has long been shattered, existing now only in the minds of the West. The choice to provide GLSDB bombs to Ukraine was made nearly a year ago. I’m relieved that the White House didn’t manage to stall the supply of these bombs, allowing Pentagon to proceed with the planned delivery.
Does this suggest that the United States has finally moved beyond its state of paranoia?
That’s a possibility. If the supply reaches into the hundreds, it’s a strong indicator that the lingering redline is gradually fading away. However, if the White House furnishes only 20 GLSDB bombs, akin to their approach with ATACMS, then it suggests the persistence of the existing level of paranoia.
We should have the test results by the close of February.
If anyone is aware, please enlighten me. Why did the United States provide Ukraine with 20 ATACMS units? What was the rationale behind such a decision?
