Member-only story
The US is Sending Defense Contractors to Ukraine
Many of Ukraine’s donated US weapon systems, like HIMARS and Patriot, have been out of action because of needed repairs.
In a policy reversal that adds another page to the playbook of US support for Ukraine, the Pentagon is greenlighting American defense contractors to head into Ukraine for weapons maintenance and repairs.
This move, confirmed yesterday by anonymous US officials to Reuters, aims to keep Kyiv’s arsenal in top shape as the war grinds on — a bold, if controversial, shift designed to assist Ukraine without putting US boots anywhere near Russian boots.
According to one US official, these contractors will operate far from the front lines, doing repair work, not battle maneuvers.
“We’re not sending them over with flak jackets and MREs,” the official said, adding that the handful of contractors involved are tasked strictly with equipment upkeep — making sure US-supplied tech doesn’t get left on the shelf collecting dust instead of putting warheads on foreheads.
While I certainly applaud this move, the bigger question here is how much of Ukraine’s Western-supplied equipment is sidelined.
Didn’t the Pentagon anticipate this ahead of time?
