Help Ukraine fight to win

It’s time to end US escalation fears

THE Arsenals of Treasuries soon will be open again on Capitol Hill. Yet Russia and its Arsenals of Evil — North Korea and Iran — are presently winning against the Arsenals of Democracy in Ukraine.

At tremendous political risk for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), the United States House of Representatives last Saturday finally put aside partisan gamesmanship and did what it needed to do: vote and approve funding for Ukraine. The Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act passed with a vote of 311-112.

Now the onus is on President Biden and his national security team to put an end to the forever war in Ukraine. Doing so will require crafting and articulating a plan for Zelensky and his generals to win — something the White House has egregiously failed to do since the start of the war.

America’s inexcusable leadership absence the past six months has put Ukraine into a dangerously precarious position. Running short on artillery and air defense ammunition, frontline forces were forced into a mobile defense — trading space for time.

Russia relentless

While Washington played politics, Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and civilian population centers were on the receiving end of relentless and devastating aerial bombardment from Russian drones and missiles. Additionally, Russian forces have slowly but steadily started to press westward in the Donbas along the Lyman-Bakhmut-Avdiivka axis.

Unless Biden boldly changes course and shifts from “defending Ukraine” to ensuring Ukraine has the offensive multidomain capabilities to defeat and expel Russia, these newly appropriated congressional funds will merely buy time. As a result, more Ukrainian soldiers and civilians will die with no end to the war in sight.

The $61 billion dollars newly allocated to Ukraine will play a significant role in stopping the bleeding at the front. It provides desperately needed funding for their defense ammunition (small arms, anti-armor, artillery and air defense).

Yet it does little to provide Ukraine the ability to interdict Russian forces — in Russia — and their equipment before they arrive on the battlefield. Without a successful interdiction capability, Ukraine cannot create the space necessary to maneuver when it breaks through Russian defenses during its next counteroffensive.

While air defense munitions are urgently needed, interdicting missiles and drones over the skies of Ukraine merely defeats the individual munition. They do not have any kinetic effect on the weapon system firing the weapon.

Ukraine needs precision deep-strike capability that can extend into Russia to destroy missile and drone launch sites, their crews and associated munition storage facilities. This includes airfields where Russian aircraft are deployed to deliver cruise missiles.

Congress cannot allow the $61 billion package to be more of the same: forever defending. This keeps the fight in the trenches and over Ukrainian skies, where Russia has a numerical advantage. It plays to Russian strength — mass in infantry, artillery, and missiles and drones.

The difference-maker could be ATACMS, and the German-made Taurus cruise missile.

Section 505 of the bill addresses ATACMS, and states: “As soon as practicable after the date of enactment of this Act, the President shall transfer long range Army Tactical Missile Systems to the Government of Ukraine to assist the Government of Ukraine in defending itself and achieving victory against the Russian Federation.”

White House concerns

But the White House has repeatedly expressed its concerns over ATACMS munitions in the hands of the Ukrainian military. Striking Russian targets outside of Ukraine has been a no-go since the onset of the invasion — even today with Kyiv using its own Ukrainian-made drones to strike targets deep within the Russian interior.

The US even went as far as to secretly modify the HIMARS systems it gave Ukraine so they could not be used to fire long-range missiles into Russia. In effect, all that misguided decision produced was sanctuary for Russian troops, munitions and weapons.

The Biden administration has frequently “considered” extended-range ATACMS munitions on multiple occasions, and each time cowered to escalation paralysis. Has the current dire situation in Ukraine changed the calculus?

Kharkiv City and Chasiv Yar are the next likely cities on Russia’s target list. The lag time between funding approval and munitions arriving on the front lines may be the determining factor between winning and losing.

Just-in-time logistics is no way to fight a war. It is time for the Biden administration to overcome its escalation fears and commit to winning in Ukraine — and Johnson, having honorably risked his speakership, must hold the president accountable.

Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Sweet served 30 years as a military intelligence officer. Mark Toth writes on national-security and foreign policy.