US plans to send additional military advisors to Ukraine - Politico
Kyiv • UNN
The United States is considering sending up to 60 additional military advisors to its embassy in Kyiv to support the logistics, oversight, and maintenance of weapons delivered to Ukraine, expanding its non-combat military presence in the country.
The United States is considering sending additional military advisers to the embassy in Kyiv, the latest sign of American commitment to Ukraine as Russia appears to be gaining momentum in the two-year conflict. This was reported by Politico, according to UNN .
Details
According to Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder, the advisors will not perform combat duties, but rather advise and support the Ukrainian government and military.
Throughout this conflict, the Department of Defense has reviewed and adjusted our presence in the country to reflect the changing security environment. We are currently considering deploying several additional advisors to strengthen the Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) at the embassy
The Office of Defense Cooperation "performs a variety of advisory and support missions (not combat), and while it is staffed exclusively by Defense Department personnel, it is integrated into the U.S. Embassy under the direction of the Chief of Mission, like the rest of the Embassy," Ryder added.
Ryder declined to discuss the specific number of personnel "for reasons of operational security and force protection.
According to four U.S. officials and a person familiar with the plans, who requested anonymity to speak on the sensitive topic, the additional troops would support logistics and oversight efforts for weapons the U.S. is sending to Ukraine.
The new contingent will also help the Ukrainian military with weapons maintenance, one of the American officials said.
It was not yet clear how many additional U.S. military advisors would eventually be sent to Ukraine, but two U.S. officials said the number would be as high as 60.
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According to the newspaper, the additional troops, even in a non-combat role, would expand the US military presence in the country, just as the House of Representatives passed a billion-dollar military aid package for Ukraine. Congress has been holding off on providing additional aid to Kyiv for months, as former President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed skepticism about the effort.
President Joe Biden has long promised that U.S. troops will not participate in the war on behalf of Ukraine, as this would increase the risk of a direct clash between U.S. and Russian forces.
According to an official familiar with the situation, one of the tasks the advisors will be doing is helping the Ukrainians plan for sustainment of sophisticated U.S.-provided equipment as the fighting is expected to intensify in the summer. They will also support the relatively small contingent at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv and coordinate new arms shipments when the current supplemental bill in Congress becomes law and allows more weapons and equipment to reach the Ukrainian fronts.
