Ukraine could soon run out of "HIMARS" rocket launchers
Created: 08/17/2022, 10:17 am
By: Jan Oeftger
Ukraine could soon run out of HIMARS missile launchers, which it uses to defend itself in the Ukraine war.
This is the forecast of an expert from the USA.
WASHINGTON, DC - Former US Navy Colonel Mark Cancian estimates that the US has only three to four weeks to deliver so-called HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems) to Ukraine.
These are used to defend against Russia in the Ukraine war.
Cancian is a senior advisor to the US Department of State.
"We will get to the point where the US will have to reduce the number of missiles it provides because of shortages in supplies," he announced.
There could be discussions about how many of these rockets you want to keep for yourself.
"The military will probably want to keep more, the civilian officials will probably want to release more, and they'll sort of agree on what an acceptable level of risk is," Cancian anticipates a reasonable middle ground.
This he told American news magazine
Newsweek
.
Ukraine-News: According to experts, the USA can hand over a third of its military holdings to Ukraine
Cancian, who used to work in strategy and budget management at the Department of Defense and served as a soldier in Iraq, points to the limited number of missiles.
A total of 50,000 guided missiles have been built in the USA since the start of production in 2004.
Of these, 5,800 will be purchased this fiscal year.
The US Army is testing a HIMARS missile launcher in Kuwait.
The model was delivered to Ukraine, among others.
(Symbol photo) © Sgt. James Lefty Larimer / US Army / Imago Images
The United States had recently pledged further military support for Ukraine.
Cancian estimates that Ukraine was then given about a third of the military stock.
Among them were 25,000 to 28,000 HIMARS rockets.
However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not publish exact figures on this.
Should the USA give up a third, Cancian believes that the military equipment will still be sufficient for the USA's own needs.
Ukraine-News: Production of HIMARS launcher would take longer
The American armaments company Lockheed Martin did not want to give
Newsweek
any information about the weapons production and referred them to the Ministry of Defense.
However, the ministry did not say how quickly production is progressing.
Cancian says that while production has increased, it will take longer to build the HIMARS launcher.
It is currently not in production.
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Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio reiterated in early May the importance of a $40 billion economic and humanitarian aid program for Ukraine.
"Not only will it provide direct security assistance to Ukraine, but it will also replenish depleted US military stockpiles and support American troops stationed in NATO countries earlier this year." be automatically approved by Congress.
The financial possibilities of the USA are finite.
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