A special military cell sends weapons and equipment to Ukraine

STUTTGART, Germany – It takes a village to help Ukraine fight the Russians.

Let’s consider a recent shipment of 105mm howitzers.

Great Britain donated weapons e New Zeland trained Ukrainian soldiers on how to use them and provided spare parts.

United States of America provided the ammunition and vehicles to tow them and took the cargo to a base near the Ukrainian border.

The choreography for the sequence was the work of dozens of military logistics specialists housed in a large secure loft at the US European command headquarters in Germany.

The little-known group is playing a pivotal role in keeping the Ukrainian army armed and equipped according to its needs on the battlefield.n more complicated.

Think of the cell as a cross between a wedding list for bombs, shells, and missile artillery and a military version of FedEx.

Uniformed officers of more than two dozen countries trying to satisfy Ukraine’s requests with donations of more than 40 countries and then arrange the transfer of shipments by air, land or sea from donor countries to the border with Ukraine for pickup, all in about 72 hoursYes

“The flow has been continuous,” Rear Admiral R. Duke Heinz, head of logistics for the European command, told a small group of reporters who visited the logistics center last week.

As the five-month war appears to enter a new phase, with Ukraine setting the stage for a major offensive in the south of the country, Ukrainian political leaders and commanders are lobbying the United States and other allies to speed up and broaden the flow of weapons and ammunition.

“Ukraine needs firepower and ammunition to withstand its bombardments and respond to Russian weapons that launch these attacks from within the territory of Ukraine,” said the Defense Secretary. Lloyd Austinlast week in Washington.

“So we understand the urgency and are pushing for it maintain and intensify the impulse of donations “.

Other US-supplied weapons, such as high-mobility artillery missile systems or HIMARS, are high on Ukraine’s wish list.

But so are armed drones and fighter planes.

General CQ Brown, the Air Force chief of staff, suggested last week that the United States or one of its European allies could send fighter jets to Ukraine in the coming weeks or months.

The US recently said it will send four more HIMARS M142s to Ukraine, joining the dozen mobile rocket launchers already in the field.

Ukrainian soldiers used them to destroy dozens of Russian command posts, air defense sites and ammunition depots, Ukrainian and US officials say.

“This has slowed down considerably the Russian advance and drastically reduced the intensity of its artillery bombardment, ”Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in an online interview last week for the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank.

“So it works.”

Heinz said the cell was trying to meet Ukraine’s demands for more weapons faster, acknowledging that “if the roles were reversed, the comments would be the same.”

The nerve cell of distribution of the arms, formally called International Donor Coordination Centeris where it happens.

For such a high-profile mission, the room has a decidedly simple vibe.

Officers sit at long folding tables, type on their laptops, or chat on their phone headsets with their colleagues different languages.

Like much of Europe that suffered from last week’s heat wave, the attic is not air-conditioned.

Only a few open windows on the roof offered a gentle breeze.

The center has started operations 24 hours in March, combining British and American efforts to coordinate the flow of weapons and equipment.

The process is simple.

Ukraine submits applications through a secure and classified database.

Military officials scour the online list to determine what their countries can donate without endangering their national security.

Nations also contribute to training and transportation.

A Ukrainian three-star general those who work at the center answer questions and clarify the priorities of their country.

The center can send to technical teama military version of the Geek Squad, to check the status of a potential donor’s contribution and help organize delivery paperwork.

Once a match has been approved, the planners find the best way to deliver the shipment.

About 75% of the weapons are shipped to operational bases in Poland, where Ukrainian troops pick up their cargo and carry it across the border.

Heinz refused to identify two other neighboring countries where shipments are delivered, citing those nations’ security concerns.

Planners use several border crossings in Ukraine for weapons and humanitarian assistance, he said.

In nearly five months, the hub moved more than 78,000 tons of weapons, ammunition and equipment worth more than $ 10 billion, US and Western military officials said.

Many Baltic and Eastern European countries have donated standard Soviet weapons and ammunition that have long been used by the Ukrainian military.

But given the intense fighting, those supplies are running out, if not already depleted.

A factory in Europe is producing them standard ammunition including shells from the howitzer, and is operational 24/7, Heinz said.

The shortage required Ukraine to initiate the transition to standard Western weapons and ammunition, which are more abundant.

Once the weapons are in Ukraine, the US and other Western military officials say they cannot trace them.

They are based on reports from Ukraine on how and where the weapons are used, although US military and intelligence officials, including special operations forces, are in daily contact with their Ukrainian counterparts, US officials said.

US and Ukrainian officials have downplayed reports that some weapons are being hijacked from the black market in Ukraine, but Heinz acknowledged that “we are not tracking the serial number once they cross the border.”

Russia has attacked Ukrainian train depots and warehouses, but has not shown that it can attack effectively. moving targetslike weapons convoys, with its rapidly dwindling arsenal of precision-guided ammunition, US officials said.

Initial shipments of weapons, including Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and Javelin anti-tank missiles, were transported to Poland and quickly moved across the border.

But as larger, heavier and more complex weapons are donated, military planners also send shipments by sea, rail and truck.

The center also organizes the training of Ukrainian soldiers how to use and maintaining weapons, such as HIMARS, which require at least two weeks of training, military officials said.

The United States has trained about 1,500 members of the Ukrainian army, mainly in Germany.

A group recently arrived in Britain to participate in a new program that officials say will eventually train 10,000 Ukrainian conscripts in weapons, patrol tactics, first aid and other skills.

When Ukrainians encounter a problem, the sites of “remote repair“set up by the center can help keep equipment running and check the maintenance status of weapons.

The transition to this comprehensive program of equipping, training and maintaining the flow of weapons and timing of expeditions with training has posed increasing challenges for the coordination center.

“It’s definitely a more complex task,” said Brig. Christopher King, the chief British officer at the center.

“What I would say is that they are a lot easy to train and very busy “.

The coordination center typically works on shipments two months in advance, Heinz said.

In addition to the weapons and ammunition announced by the Pentagon last week, the 16th round that the Biden administration has approved since August, Heinz said two more shipments are on the way.

The admiral did not provide details on future expeditions, which will require the president’s approval. Joe Biden.

For now, senior officials say the allies stand firm behind Ukraine’s struggle.

“The goal is for Ukraine to get the right to defend the sovereignty of its country and take back that land,” said Heinz, a veteran of the wars in Ukraine. Afghanistan and Iraq.

“I can’t define what winning means for the Ukrainians,” he said, adding that it depended on the president. Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian people.

“The United States and our allies and partners are involved until he tells us he doesn’t need any more help.”

Kitty Bennett contributed to the research.

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