According to CCTV News, on July 1, local time, the US Department of Defense announced that it would provide Additional Military Assistance of $820 million to Ukraine, including a new surface-to-air missile system and anti-artillery radar, and more ammunition for the "Haimas" highly maneuverable multiple rocket launcher system.
It is reported that since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the United States has provided Ukraine with multiple rounds of military assistance, including Mi-17 helicopters, M777 howitzers, multiple rocket launcher systems, etc., and the "behind-the-scenes command center" specifically responsible for transporting these weapons from the United States to Ukraine is the U.S. Transportation Command, headed by Jacqueline Van Ovost, the second female commander of the U.S. military in the history of the U.S. military.
↑ Jacqueline Van Overster
According to reports, Overst graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1988, is an experienced pilot, became the head of the U.S. Air Force Maneuver Command in August 2020, and was appointed commander of the U.S. Transportation Command on March 6, 2021.
How do U.S.-aided weapons reach Ukraine?
At Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, thousands of logistics personnel from all branches of the military are reported to work at transcom, which is responsible for all aspects of the U.S. military's global transportation missions, including the transportation of land, sea, and air supplies and personnel.
According to the official website of the US Transportation Command, since January 21, before the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the US military has begun to continue to provide military assistance to Ukraine, including anti-tank systems, anti-aircraft missiles, unmanned aerial systems, artillery shells, ammunition, protective equipment and so on. On February 3, the command began moving some of its troops stationed in the United States to Europe. As of June 13, 2022, the department has shipped more than 20,000 tons of weapons and equipment to Europe, transporting 16,000 U.S. soldiers to Europe, the data shows.
The process for each shipment of U.S. military aid to Ukraine is reportedly set by the Transportation Command. After Kiev authorities submit requests for military aid to the U.S. military base in Stuttgart, Germany, about 40 countries will coordinate military assistance there, and some needs may be handed over to U.S. allies and the rest will be handled by the United States.
↑ Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, USA
Subsequently, the U.S. European Command will forward the relevant materials to U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin and U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Millie for discussion. If the relevant military aid plan is feasible, Milley will make suggestions to Austin, and Austin will make suggestions to US President Joe Biden. Once Biden signs his agreement, the U.S. Transportation Command will "find a way" to transport the required supplies to airports or ports near Ukraine.
According to cCTV News, the United States handed over to Ukraine the Mi-17 helicopter originally purchased for the Afghan government. According to reports, the transport of Mi-17 helicopters was also done by the US Transportation Command. A search by staff at Scott Air Force Base revealed a C-17 transport aircraft at Washington State Air Force Base and a Mi-17 helicopter at Arizona Air Force Base. The transport plane then took off from McChord Air Force Base near Tacoma, Washington, to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona.
According to Colonel Brent, commander of the U.S. Air Force's 618th Operations Center, after about 4 hours of loading, the helicopter carrier will fly to Bangor, Maine, and then fly from Bangor to Europe. In addition, Brent said that about 850 active Air Force personnel, reserve personnel and others are planning tasks similar to "transport helicopters" every day. In addition, there is a team of 60 people working in a 24-hour rotation to execute the transport plan.
Due to the high cost of using transport aircraft, not all military aid to Ukraine can be transported by air. It is reported that the transport command will decide whether to air or sea according to the speed of arrival required for the material. In general, military planners opt for cheaper sea freight.
↑Number of weapons and equipment shipped to Europe by the U.S. Transportation Command as of June 13
Ammunition for the "Higass" multiple rocket launcher system, which the Ukrainian military has "long-desired" for, will also be reportedly transported by sea. The rockets were packed into 20-foot shipping containers in bundles of six, and the lifting machine hoisted the boxes from tractors or rail cars, stacked them on board, and fixed them for another two-week sea voyage. Behind the scenes, the U.S. Transportation Command is also responsible for deploying and monitoring transportation.
The second female commander of the War Department in the history of the US military has directed the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan
Ovolster, the second female commander of a combatant command in U.S. military history, said that in fact, the corresponding transportation plan was already in place before the White House officially announced a new round of assistance to Ukraine.
"We can't wait for a formal order to come down before we start planning." According to Ovolster, on August 27, 2021, when Biden signed a memorandum asking the U.S. Department of Defense to allocate $60 million to provide Ukraine with more Javelin anti-tank missiles, the relevant materials took a month to be delivered to the plane. According to it, as the number of U.S. weapons supplied to Ukraine has increased, it now takes less than a day from White House approval to shipment.
↑ In August 2021, the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan was questioned for "chaos"
It is reported that the entire air operation of the large-scale withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in August last year was also planned and directed by Overster. According to officials, it was the busiest period for the Transport Command, which not only had to plan and coordinate about 450 cargo flights a day, but also supervised about 20 cargo ships, as well as a cross-continental rail network and more than a thousand trucks, all of which were routine "war-needed materiel." However, the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan has been criticized for "chaos".
It was also reported that before the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the Biden administration was preparing to evacuate U.S. citizens from Ukraine, and Ovolster was also assigned to coordinate Ukraine's evacuation plan. However, it has been reported that due to the alleged "chaos" of previous operations in Afghanistan, some US Defense Department officials said that they "do not want to evacuate (citizens) from Ukraine in a chaotic manner." ”
The United States continues to transport weapons to Ukraine, saying that it is not yet the time for negotiations
According to reports, the United States has provided nearly $7 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Kirby Kirby, the Strategic Communication Coordinator of the White House National Security Council on Sunday (3rd) local time, said publicly that Washington believes that it is too early to discuss peace talks between Moscow and Kiev, because neither side is ready for such negotiations.
Asked if U.S. President Joe Biden should "push" for the Russian-Ukrainian peace talks, Kirby said, "Now is the time for the United States to continue to support Ukraine, and that's what we're doing." ”
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Paiskov noted that the United States and its allies are "actively betting on inciting the continuation of the conflict and preventing Kiev from moving toward peace." The Kremlin believes that common sense will eventually prevail and that the two sides will eventually return to negotiations.
It is reported that since the russian and Ukrainian sides concluded the fifth round of negotiations in Turkey on March 29, the peace talks have come to a standstill. According to the reference news network, Ukraine's chief negotiator, David Allahmia, said that Ukraine will only return to the negotiating table if it has a stronger position in the conflict with Russia. The Russian side said that there is no timetable for the end of the military operation against Ukraine, and as long as Ukraine surrenders, the Russian military operation can end.
Red Star News reporter Li Jinrui
Edited by Zhang Xun
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