Because the Pentagon summons Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Boeing and not just for Ukraine
The Pentagon has convened eight of America's major arms manufacturers to discuss the ability of the domestic war industry to meet the needs for arms to be supplied to Ukraine. Here are facts, numbers and comments
Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, but also Boeing and General Dynamics, at the Pentagon appeal on the Ukraine dossier.
Reuters revealed that the Department of Defense will meet with the leaders of eight major arms companies in the United States today. The ability of the domestic war industry to meet the needs for weapons to be sent to Ukraine will be discussed, especially if the war with Russia lasts for years.
In addition, US President Joe Biden is expected to announce an additional $ 750 million in arms shipments to Ukraine today.
The Pentagon has already made it known that the most useful weapons are smaller systems, such as Javelin anti-tank missiles and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles . The latter have already been sent almost daily by Washington and by European allies in Ukraine.
Raytheon Technologies and Lockheed Martin jointly produce Javelins missiles, while Raytheon produces Stinger.
According to Pentagon sources, the US could transfer armored Humvees, but also helicopters that can be equipped to attack Russian vehicles. In addition to a number of other sophisticated equipment.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Zelenskiy pressures US and European leaders to supply heavier weapons and equipment ahead of the battle in Donbass.
All the details.
UKRAINE, WHAT WILL BE DISCUSSED TODAY AT THE PENTAGON
The Pentagon's Acquisition and Support Office, the arms procurement office for the US Department of Defense, will host the meeting with key military contractors on Wednesday. The meeting will also be attended by Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks.
"We will discuss industry proposals to accelerate production of existing systems," the defense official told Reuters . It will also discuss "developing key new capabilities for the department's ongoing security assistance in Ukraine and for the long-term readiness of the US and allied / partner forces".
LOCKHEED MARTIN, RAYTHEON AND BOING AT THE APPEAL
In addition to the aforementioned Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, other major American arms manufacturers likely to take part in the meeting are: Boeing; Northrop Grumman; General Dynamics and L3Harris Technologies.
WEAPONS SUPPLIED BY THE US SO FAR TO KIEV
According to the Pentagon, the United States has provided more than $ 1.7 billion in military aid to Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February. In fact, Washington has sent over 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, 5,000 Javelin anti-tank missiles and hundreds of Switchblade drones .
The United States has already delivered most of an 800 million dollar defense package recently pledged to Ukraine. They therefore plan to complete the supply of a $ 100 million package including Javelin missiles by mid-April.
READY TO SEND NEW WEAPON SYSTEMS
And today Biden could announce new military aid to Kiev.
The president should use his presidential powers. These allow him to take equipment from reserves and transfer it to another country without congressional approval if there is an "unforeseen emergency".
STOCK ISSUE
But the meeting could also be an opportunity for the Pentagon, which is perhaps beginning to run out of internal stocks of missiles, to update its orders.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based think tank, has estimated that the United States has sold about a third of its Javelin stocks to Ukraine. And the CSIS added that it will take three or four years to rebuild them, reports the Financial Times .
Additionally, the United States is estimated to have sent about a quarter of its Stinger missiles to the country. It will take at least five years to replace them at current production levels.
THE FORECAST OF GAIANI, DIRECTOR OF DEFENSE ANALYSIS
Hence, the United States is preparing for a long-lasting war aimed at discouraging any kind of negotiation. This is the prediction of Gianandrea Gaiani, director of the Defense Analysis magazine, thus confirming to the Agi the news of the convening by the Pentagon of the eight main companies that produce weapons in the United States.
THE OBJECTIVES OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
According to the director of Defense Analysis , the new supply of weapons promised by the United States to Ukraine suggests that "the government of Kiev has lost most of its armored vehicles and vehicles" in the ongoing conflict and that Russian soldiers "have destroyed a a substantial part of the industrial apparatus that is used to repair these vehicles or carry out the necessary maintenance ".
Certainly, the current objectives of the Biden administration are not the same as those of Europe, "whose interest would be to aim for a quicker end of the war" underlines Gaiani.
Finally, “There is also talk of other supplies that can make a qualitative leap, such as howitzers or cannons of American production; and this may mean that the United States is preparing for a long-lasting war aimed at discouraging any kind of negotiation ”, concludes Gaiani.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/perche-il-pentagono-convoca-raytheon-lockheed-martin-boeing-e-non-solo-per-lucraina/ on Wed, 13 Apr 2022 13:49:09 +0000.