So far, the United States has no plans to transfer ATACMS long-range missiles to Ukraine.
This was stated by the head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, in an interview with the American edition of Defense One.
According to him, the US itself has relatively few ATACMS, so it must maintain its own stocks of such weapons. In addition, Milley called the capabilities of ATACMS “a little overdone.”
ATACMS fires one shot, while GMLRS fires six at once. The range of ATACMS is longer, but there are other systems that can provide the same range, he says.
The general believes that, for example, attack unmanned aerial vehicles can become an alternative to ATACMS. However, Milley noted that not to transfer ATACMS to Ukrainians is a political decision of the US leadership, which may change in the future.
The ATACMS missile has a range of about 300 km, far more than any other system the US has so far supplied to Ukraine.
According to a senior general, the US has relatively few ATACMS and the US military must maintain a stockpile of such critical weapons. But there are other systems that can operate in the same range.
There are, for example, drones. The British have a couple of systems,” Milley said.
In addition, as Milley said, the military conflict on the territory of Ukraine has revealed “incredible rates of consumption of conventional ammunition”, and now the US is revising its estimates of their needs in the event of a major war.
The U.S. has enough munitions for now, but the military-industrial complex will be working to expand its capacity for several years, the general said.
If you’re in a major war between great nations, Millie said, don’t underestimate the amount of ammunition you’ll need.
In February, Politico wrote that the United States was not ready to provide Ukraine with MGM-140 ATACMS missiles due to the lack of surpluses of these weapons in the stocks of the American army. US military leaders are concerned that the transfer of long-range missiles will deplete US arsenals and reduce US readiness to respond to future threats.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.