By: Jayden Ho
The Biden administration is refusing to supply Ukraine with long-range Army missiles, despite escalating pressure from U.S. lawmakers and pleas from the Ukrainian government. This firm stance comes amidst disappointment over the slow pace of Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces and a shift in President Biden’s tone, which has led to speculation about a potential change in U.S. policy.
“Despite what one official called a growing public perception of ‘some sort of slow, gravitational pull’ toward approval, there has been no change in U.S. policy and no substantive discussion about the issue for months,” said U.S. defense and administration officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject.
Ukraine has been vocal about its need for the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), arguing that these long-range missiles, with a range of 190 miles, are crucial for destroying command posts and logistics areas far behind Russian front lines. “Without long-range weapons, it is difficult not only to carry out an offensive mission but also to conduct a defensive operation,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a July 7 news conference in Prague.
However, the Pentagon has a different perspective. It believes that Kyiv has other, more urgent needs than ATACMS; strengthening their defensive capabilities, particularly against the extensive minefields laid by the Russians, which are currently the primary cause of delay in the Ukrainian offensive. There are also concerns that sending enough missiles to Ukraine to make a difference on the battlefield could severely undercut U.S. readiness for other potential conflicts.
“The problem now is not their ability to strike deep into Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory,” said Colin Kahl, the Pentagon’s undersecretary for policy, until early this month. “The problem is not a hundred kilometers away, it’s one kilometer in front of them with the minefields the Russians have laid, along with rows of trenches and tank traps, in defensive lines along the 600-mile front line.”
The limited number of ATACMS is another pressing concern for the U.S. military. While the exact number in the U.S. arsenal is classified, Lockheed Martin has made only about 4,000 since production began. Many of these have been used by the U.S. Army in combat, exercises, and periodic testing. At the same time, nearly 900 have been sold to allies and partners abroad in the past decade.
As the conflict continues, the question of whether the U.S. will supply long-range missiles to Ukraine remains unanswered, leaving the future of the war uncertain.