While President Biden meekly tries to โde-escalate' tensions with Russia over Ukraine, the Pentagonย is developing a plan to provide Ukraine with battlefield intelligence to help the country quickly respond to a Russian incursion. This vital intelligence sharing, if approved by Biden, will likely rankleย Russia, which has portrayed anyย American military aidย to Ukraine as provocative. (RELATED: Invasion Fears Rise as Russia and China Threaten Neighbors)
Despite Biden's weak overall approach to the Putin threat to Ukraine,ย reportsย the New York Times (NYT):
โฆthe Biden administration is seeking to project support for the former Soviet republic's independence from Moscow and its territorial integrity. The United States and its allies haveย warned President Vladimir V. Putinย of Russia that an invasion would bring both economic pain for his country, in the form of sanctions, and military losses.
SEE ALSO: Putin's Real Goals in Ukraine Crisis
Some of the actions have included another delivery of Javelin anti-tank guided missiles, initially blocked by Obama-Biden, but begun under President Trump in 2018. A small Pentagon team also recently visited Ukraine to evaluate the country's air defense needs, and other more imaginative proposals. The NYTย explains:
The list of ideas being drawn up at the Pentagon, the State Department and the White House include redirecting helicopters and other military equipment once allocated for the Afghan military to Ukraine, officials said. The administration is also considering sending additionalย cyberwarfare expertsย to Ukraine. The United States and Britain have sent some experts to shore up defenses in case Mr. Putin launches a cyberstrike on Ukraine either in advance or instead of a ground invasion.
SEE ALSO: Pentagon Watch โ Is Trump Responsible for Capitol Riot?
But the proposal at the Pentagon for โactionableโ intelligence is potentially more significant, two U.S. officials said. The information would include images of whether Russian troops were moving to cross the border. Such information, if shared in time, could enable the Ukrainian military to head off an attack.
However, there is one big risk in providing Ukraine with this intelligence โ A Ukrainian pre-emptive strike. NYT Adds:
โThe number one thing we can do is real time actionable intelligence that says, โThe Russians are coming over the berm,'โ said Evelyn Farkas, who served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia in the Obama administration. โWe tell them, and they use that to target the Russians.โ
She said that โwe've been nervous about that in the past.โ
One potential problem with providing actionable intelligence, American officials acknowledge, is that it could lead Ukraine to strike first โ the sort of scenario Western officials believe that Mr. Putin has been trying to sell to the Russian public.
That could give Vladimir Putin the propaganda advantage as he paints Ukraine as the aggressor.
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This excellent report is not good news….
Seven Years of Deadlock: Why Ukraineโs Military Reforms Have Gone Nowhere, and How the US Should Respond
By: Glen Grant – July 16, 2021 06:17 PM Age: 5 months
https://jamestown.org/program/why-the-ukrainian-defense-system-fails-to-reform-why-us-support-is-less-than-optimal-and-what-can-we-do-better/
Partial transcript:
Joe: Hello President?, no er ..Czar?, ..No??, uhh …Premier Putin, Why did I call?
Putin: Take a long nap Joe and put Obama on the line!