Obama administration
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has notified Congress of its plans to train and arm the Ukrainian national guard next year, the Pentagon said on Friday, as Washington continues to intensify its response to Moscow's support for rebels in eastern Ukraine.
"The Defense Department and State Department have notified Congress of our intent to use $19 million in global security contingency fund authority to train and equip four companies and one tactical headquarters of the Ukrainian national guard as part of their efforts to build their capacity for internal defense," Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby told reporters.
The training, which requires congressional approval, would occur at a location within Ukraine that hosts multilateral exercises, Kirby said. The trainers would be provided by U.S. Army Europe and by the California National Guard, he added.
Rockets fire from Russian territory into Ukraine. The rockets are likely from BM-21 Grad
While Kirby did not link the training to the West's deepening standoff with Russia over Ukraine. The announcement comes as the United States and other Western nations seek to tighten pressure on Moscow after the July 17 downing of a Malaysian airliner over rebel-held territory in Ukraine by what Western nations say was a Russia-supplied missile.
Earlier on Friday, President Barack Obama urged Russian leader Vladimir Putin to stop supporting separatists in eastern Ukraine and to seek a diplomatic end to the crisis. Washington and European nations announced new sanctions against Russia earlier this week.
While the United States has repeatedly slammed Russia's troop buildup along the border with Ukraine and its support for the rebels, the Obama administration has limited military assistance to non lethal aid such as medical supplies and helmets.
Also on Friday, the United States pledged about $8 million in new aid to bolster the Ukrainian border guard service.
Reuters: 02. August 2014
White House says US to give Ukraine $8 million aid for border guard
A view of the White House July 27, 2014 in Washington, DC.
The United States on Friday pledged about $8 million in new aid to bolster Ukraine's border guard service as the country struggles to counter pro-Russian separatist groups.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden promised the assistance in a phone call with Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko, the White House said in a statement. The aid includes engineering and surveillance equipment, transport and patrol vehicles, and small boats.
The Washington Times: 02. August 2014
Pentagon wants extra $19 million to equip, train Ukrainian troops
The Pentagon building in Washington, DC.
The Pentagon has notified Congress of a plan to increase the amount of money that it is spending on bolstering the defense capabilities of the Ukrainian military, with the majority of that funding going toward equipping and training its national guard troops to conduct various missions.
Pentagon and State Department officials are asking lawmakers to approve $19 million so that they can continue assisting the Ukrainians with building their capacity for internal defense, according to Pentagon officials. That funding would mostly be spent on training the Ukrainian National Guard in western Ukraine, at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center in Yavoriv, the officials said.
Ukrainian ATO soldiers during patrol through border region of Zelenoploje, Luhansk oblast.
To date, the U.S. government has committed $23 million to helping Ukraine’s armed forces and border guards sustain operations. That money has been spent on radios, body armor, individual first aid kits, sleeping mats, neck gaiters, jackets and, most recently, explosive ordinance disposal robots.
The robots were sent to Ukraine within the past few weeks, according to Pentagon officials. The delivery comes just a the country’s bitter battle with Russian-backed separatists has spilled into concentrated urban settings.
Steve Ganyard, National Security analyst and president of Avascent International, said he was baffled by the delivery of the robots to Ukraine. The former deputy assistant secretary of state for plans, programs and operations in the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs said he was unsure how the robots would be useful in a conventional warfare battlefield.
“I don’t see any sort of indication that it’s an [improvised explosive device] kind of situation,” he said. “They’re fighting more conventionally than you would expect rebels to do, but that’s because they are conventional. The Russian army trained them and is supplying them and probably are supplying some troops.”
The new level of support simply indicates that the United States “is desperately looking to be able to provide the Ukrainians with something” useful and not too sensitive, Mr. Ganyard said. That way, if the equipment is confiscated by the Russians, the Ukrainians will not be giving its adversary a military advantage, he said.
Meanwhile, lawmakers continue to argue that the increased violence near the eastern border Ukraine warrants lethal assistance.
Sen. Kelly Ayotte said Tuesday that the Obama administration is not doing enough to leverage Ukraine standing in the ongoing skirmish with Russia. The administration needs to provide the military and the lethal support that the Ukrainian military has requested so that they can battle back the Russians, the New Hampshire Republican said.
Other prominent legislative leaders such as Sen. John McCain have also advocated on behalf of arming Ukraine. In a radio interview with Phoenix-based station KFYI, the Arizona Republican blasted the Obama administration for failing to arm the country's tenuous military.
“It’s a cowardly act on our part not to give the Ukrainians any defensive weapons,” he said. “They’ve been begging us for weapons with which to defend themselves, where perhaps they could have defeated these separatists.”
The Washington Times: 02. August 2014
Bipartisan support grows in US Congress for military aid to Ukraine
Washington, D.C. –Today, U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) urged the Administration to approve badly needed defensive military assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The senators expressed concern over the Ukrainian military’s challenges defending its sovereignty against insurgents armed and trained by Russia and urged the Administration to provide the military capabilities to defeat the separatists, deter Russian aggression, and restore stability to the nation.
“The United States must stand with Ukraine as they fight for the right to chart their own future,” Portman stated. “While economic and political support is vital, the goals this aid is designed to achieve will be impossible if the Ukrainian military cannot restore law and order and deter future aggression. We must provide Ukrainians with the military capabilities they need to protect their country and fulfill the promise of the Maidan.”
"Ukraine’s people have shown remarkable courage and perseverance in the face of tremendous internal challenges and serious and ongoing external threats," said Cardin. "We will continue to stand by the people of Ukraine as they work to overcome these challenges and forge a free, independent and democratic future.”
Portman and Cardin traveled to Ukraine earlier this year to show support for the Ukrainian people and to serve as election monitors for their presidential elections.
Full text of the letter can be found below and here.
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington DC, 20500
Dear President Obama,
We are writing to request that your administration approve badly needed defensive military assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Ukrainian military is struggling to defend its sovereignty against insurgents armed and trained by Russia and needs to possess the military capabilities to defeat the separatists, deter Russian aggression, and restore stability to the nation. The tragic disaster of the attack on Malaysian Airlines flight MH-17, with strong evidence that it was downed by Russian-led separatist militants in Ukraine, further illustrates the danger posed to the region and the international community by the continued conflict in Eastern Ukraine. Until stability is restored, the democratically elected government of Ukraine will be unable to continue on the path of reform and modernization that the United States has encouraged it to follow.
The United States has been instrumental in delivering vital economic and political assistance. Through the Support for the Sovereignty, Integrity, Democracy, and Economic Stability of Ukraine Act of 2014 and administrative actions, the United States has provided Ukraine with a $1 billion loan guarantee and over $50 million in additional political and economic assistance. The United States also helped Ukraine secure a $17 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund and an 11 billion Euro aid package from the European Union. We appreciate your work in helping to provide this assistance.
However, the crucial political and economic reform goals this previously approved aid is designed to help meet will not be possible if the government of Ukraine is unable to defeat the separatists, deter foreign aggression, and maintain law and order over all areas of the country. The bipartisan Support for the Sovereignty, Integrity, Democracy, and Economic Stability of Ukraine Act of 2014 authorized $100 million to enhance security cooperation and assistance efforts with Ukraine and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe. We are concerned, however, that the level of military support the United States has provided to date is insufficient to providing the Ukrainian military with the capabilities it needs to secure its borders and deter future aggression.
The Ukrainian military needs more sophisticated equipment to succeed in its mission and preserve the great strides Ukraine has made since the Maidan uprising. We believe that a variety of non-lethal systems such as advanced communications equipment, night-vision goggles, navigation equipment, and body armor as well as defensive military weapons would provide Ukrainian forces with the capabilities they need to restore order and discourage further foreign interference.
We understand that both the Departments of State and Defense continue to coordinate with, assess needed capabilities of, and field requests from the Ukrainian security forces. We would like to better understand what steps have been taken to provide assistance to the Ukrainian military and immediate plans to expand that support.
Specifically, what military capabilities has the government of Ukraine requested? Of these capabilities, what has your administration authorized to be provided to Ukraine, and what specific capabilities have been delivered to date? Additionally, what is your overall strategy to carry out the requirements set forth in Sec. 7(c) of the Support for the Sovereignty, Integrity, Democracy, and Economic Stability of Ukraine Act of 2014?
The people of Ukraine have chosen a more democratic, transparent, and inclusive future for their country and the United States has pledged to support them in their hour of need. Honoring this commitment means providing the assistance necessary to help Ukraine develop the full range of economic, political, and military tools it needs to fulfill this hopeful vision. We urge you to support more robust assistance to Ukraine.
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