Politico: Disagreements between the Pentagon and the US State Department over arming Ukraine

Politico discussed the disputes between the US Department of Defense and the US State Department, noting that the war between them hasn’t yet ended, and General Mark Milley will leave a set of challenges to his successor, Air Force General Charles Q. Brown Jr.

Politico pointed out that while Ukrainian forces seek to achieve a breakthrough before winter, there is a growing feeling in Washington and Europe that the West may be tired of the fighting.

A senior US administration official pointed out that the State Department and the Pentagon are moving at different speeds based on different points of view.

Bloomberg quoted a senior official in the administration as saying, “The State Department is looking for opportunities, and the Pentagon is looking for threats”.

The senior official added, “People at the Pentagon will say that they need to think about the pros and cons of every decision related to weapons, and this responsibility falls on their shoulders”.

Politico discussed the US Army’s long-range tactical missile system, which President Joe Biden agreed to send to Ukraine last week, after more than a year of discussion, considering it the latest example of this.

Politico saw that the Pentagon initially resisted sending the missiles, because it did not have any of them in the American stockpile.

US officials acknowledge that Pentagon leaders are taking a measured, operations-based approach to assessing Ukraine’s battlefield needs against the broader conflict, according to Politico, but Milley and other Defense Department leaders often say that their first priority has always been giving Kiev what it needs for the battle”.

On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal said, that the war in Ukraine is a giant arms exhibition, noting that arms manufacturers are receiving offers to buy weapons that are being tested and developed on the battlefields in Ukraine.

A few days ago, the US National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, confirmed that the US President would announce a new military aid package to Ukraine, which would include advanced air defense systems, indicating that it wouldn’t include the ATACMS missile systems.

On September 14, a report published by Responsible Statecraft magazine stated that the United States is preparing to supply Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles, indicating that the matter is motivated by disappointing developments on the battlefield, in reference to the repercussions of The Ukrainian counterattack failed.

The United States’ share of global arms exports increased from 33% to 40%, while Russia’s share decreased from 22% to 16%, according to a report published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute on arms sales for the year 2022.