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| REUTERS |
The US will send Ukraine 31 M1 Abrams tanks, President Biden announced Wednesday in a neck-snapping reversal from the Pentagon’s stated opposition late last week — though Kyiv won’t be able to make full use of the vehicles for months
“The Abrams tanks are the most capable tanks in the world,” Biden said in remarks from the White House. “These tanks are further evidence of our enduring and unflagging commitment to Ukraine and our confidence in the skill of Ukrainian forces.”
The decision comes after months of deliberations as Ukraine pleaded for tanks ahead of a renewed Russian offensive expected this spring. The highly maneuverable tanks are expected to help Kyiv fight across the flat plains that make up its Donbas region, where Moscow has captured territory.
“With spring approaching, Ukrainian forces are working to defend the territory they hold and prepared for additional counter offenses to liberate their land,” Biden said. “They need to be able to counter Russia’s evolving tactics and strategy on the battlefield in the very near term.”
But it will likely be another year before Ukraine receives the M1s, as they will not come from Pentagon stocks, White House officials said. Instead, the US will buy them with congressionally approved Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funds – meaning it will take time to procure, package and send the weapons to Europe.
“Delivering these tanks to the field is going to take time – time that we’ll use to make sure the Ukrainians are fully prepared to integrate the Abrams tanks into their defenses,” Biden said.
Biden said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin – who expressed hesitation to reporters about sending American tanks just five days ago – suggested dispatching the M1s because it will “enhance Ukraine’s capacity to defend his territory and achieve its strategic objectives.” --->READ MORE HERE
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| Photo: Artur Widak/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images |
The powerful tank could be a game-changer on the battlefield but requires extensive logistics support
The M1 Abrams tank is among the most powerful ground weapons in the U.S. arsenal, able to close in on enemy tanks, troop positions and other targets, blast them with its cannon and machine guns, and then speed away.
The tank’s heavy armor protects the vehicle and its four-person crew from small-arms fire, shell fragments and even some direct hits. It can ford waters up to 4 feet deep.
“The fundamental mission of the tank platoon is to close with and destroy the enemy,” reads the first sentence of a 2019 training document for Army and Marine Corps tank commanders.
The Biden administration could announce as soon as Wednesday that it will send dozens of Abrams tanks to Ukraine to help Kyiv’s forces retake territory from the Russians.
Named for Gen. Creighton Abrams, a World War II tank commander, the first Abrams entered service with the U.S. Army in 1980. Intended initially to fight the Soviets in Germany’s strategic Fulda Gap, the Abrams has been updated several times with a larger cannon and improvements to its armor, transmission and drivetrain. Over the years, the Pentagon has purchased more than 7,000 of the tanks in various configurations, according to the Congressional Research Service, a research arm of the Library of Congress.
The Abrams first saw action in the Gulf War, where it won wide praise from commanders, crews and maintenance workers for its killing power and toughness in the face of enemy fire, and speed, according to a 1992 report by the Government Accountability Office.
The tanks helped the U.S. military overpower Iraqi forces during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and supported raids and other operations in Fallujah and elsewhere. The tanks also served in Afghanistan, where a Marine Corps armored company deployed in 2011 and suffered only a single wounded in action during its tour, despite taking 19 IED strikes, according to an article in the Army journal Military Review. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to +++++relevant+++++ and related stories:
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