Ukraine War Update NEWS: Military Aid News
"When Russia has missiles and we don't they attack by missiles everything: gas, energy, schools, factories, civilian buildings. This is what ATACMS 300... the 300 kilometre ATACMS that is the answer".
29/03/2024B
Hello Team
00:00-01:04⏩Jonathan welcomes viewers to part two of the Ukraine War Update (Military Aid), mentioning that he will record the geopolitics section separately as there is so much going on.
Return to top⤴️
Record Budget Financing from Allies - Ukraine
01:04-01:04⏩Ukraine's Prime Minister, Dennis Shmyhal, has stated that Ukraine is to receive record budget financing from allies in March. Jonathan notes that whilst this is positive as it shows the level of support, it is also an indication of the desperate straits Ukraine is in. This financing represents the largest budget financing since Ukraine's independence.
Return to top⤴️
Belgium to Allocate 100 Million Euros For F16 Maintenance - Ukraine
01:04-01:19⏩Belgium have allocated 100 million euros for the maintenance of Ukrainian F-16 fighter jets.
Return to top⤴️
Czech-Led Artillery Initiative Lacks Funds - Ukraine
01:19-02:49⏩The Polish Foreign Minister has said that the transport of shells secured through the Czech-led artillery initiative is being organised and that some may arrive by the end of the month. Sikorsky (no further info provided) states that firm pledges backed by money have been received. However, the Estonian Defence Minister has said that the initiative lacks funds and that money, rather than projectiles, is the issue. Jonathan believes that this is a case of political will not translating into actual cash.
Return to top⤴️
ATACMS - Will Ukraine Receive Them?
02:49-09:00⏩Jonathan discusses the possibility of Ukraine receiving ATACMS. He refers to comments from the US Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Charles Brown, stating that the risk of escalation associated with providing ATACMS has decreased. There has been much debate about whether the US would be willing to supply Ukraine with ATACMS. There were two main reasons for this: the first being the risk of escalation. The second was that the US has to maintain a strategic reserve of these missiles for their own contingencies and were reluctant to provide them to Ukraine before the replacement missile, the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), was ready. It appears that this is no longer a concern. Jonathan welcomes comments from Mark Hartland (no further info provided) who states that the US has not provided ATACMS for the last two years for two reasons: the requirements for other US contingencies and limited supplies. Rob Lee (no further info provided), quoting from the Wall Street Journal, confirms that the Pentagon is now open to providing ATACMS. Jonathan refers to comments from Zelensky who is quoted as saying "When Russia has missiles and we don't they attack by missiles everything: gas, energy, schools, factories, civilian buildings. This is what ATACMS 300... the 300 kilometre ATACMS that is the answer". Zelensky has stated that he wants to use the longer range missiles to target the airfields in Crimea but not to attack Russian territory. Zelensky said that when he asked if ATACMS were on the way "as is rumoured in Washington" the response, according to the Washington Post, was "I can't share with you this information, sorry". Jonathan notes that Zelensky has become increasingly critical of the US position, stating "We lost half a year. We can't waste time anymore. Ukraine can't be a political issue between the parties. If Ukraine falls, Putin will divide the world into Russia's friends and enemies. I mean, you can't put it any more succinctly than that". Jonathan points out the difficult position Zelensky is in. Whilst it's understandable that he wants to speak his mind, by appearing to criticise the US this is likely to entrench certain sections of US politics, such as Marjorie Taylor Greene and her supporters, in their current (anti-Ukraine) viewpoints. Zelensky has drawn a direct link between future Ukrainian success or failure with the US aid package, stating that it is critical for Kyiv's defence against Russia. Jonathan expresses his frustration that the aid package has been stalled since October 2023.
Return to top⤴️
French Military Training For Ukrainian Troops - Poland
09:00-11:37⏩Jonathan reports that several French units have been training around 10 Ukrainian battalions in Poland for the past year. He believes that this training is likely to include a mix of European and Allied forces (including US, Australian, New Zealand). The training is thought to be taking place in the UK, Poland, and Germany. Jonathan describes the type of training that the French units are providing to Ukrainian troops: trench warfare, forest warfare, urban warfare. The Ukrainian troops are also being trained in collective and combined arms manoeuvres at all levels. This is encouraging as there have been complaints that previous NATO training has not been fit for purpose. Jonathan notes that whilst Ukraine is moving towards the NATO doctrine, the type of warfare they are engaged in is very different to how NATO would expect to fight, i.e. with air superiority/dominance. NATO would use air power to gain air superiority before moving troops in, whereas in Ukraine the airspace is heavily contested and the frontline is largely static with extensive use of trench warfare, drones and artillery. Jonathan welcomes the news that French training is evolving to meet the needs of Ukrainian forces.
Return to top⤴️
France to Provide Decommissioned Military Equipment to Ukraine
11:37-12:36⏩France will provide decommissioned military equipment to Ukraine. This includes VAB armoured personnel carriers, AMX-10 RC light tanks as well as other equipment. Jonathan clarifies that this is not a sign that France is lowering its guard, rather it is part of their planned replacement schedule as part of a six-year 413 billion euro investment plan (2024-2030).
Return to top⤴️
UK to Review 'Outdated' Beard Ban in Bid to Boost Army Recruitment
12:36-16:29⏩Jonathan discusses the UK's decision to review its ban on soldiers having beards. The reason behind this is concerns over the low recruitment rate for the UK armed forces - an issue that is also affecting other countries. He notes an interesting finding from YouGov that 54% of men in the UK now have a beard. He refers to comments from the UK Defence Secretary, Grant Shapps who said: "I asked the Army to formally review the outdated beard ban. Today, this sensible change in rules has been made". Jonathan believes that this is a reflection of the seriousness of the situation and that the UK is not militarily prepared. He is concerned that two UK assault ships have been mothballed as there are not enough personnel to crew them. He refers to comments from Shashank Joshi, Defence Editor at The Economist who is "delighted to see the UK defence debates honing [his] key issues" and also Richard Kemp (no further info provided) who describes the decision as "disgraceful". Jonathan jokes about the situation, stating that the reason that people aren't joining the armed forces has nothing to do with facial hair, referring to a (presumably tongue in cheek) comment from "Dan on Twitter" "It's because the globalists uh scum despise us ruin our culture facilitate invaders and have a penchant for wars in conflicts that do not concern us ". He is concerned about the UK's lack of military preparedness, highlighting that France in particular has become much more militarily focused, Poland has been increasing military spending significantly and there have been discussions about conscription in a number of countries. Jonathan asks viewers to share their thoughts on their own country's state of preparedness.
Return to top⤴️
Russia and North Korea to Launch Direct Charter Flights
16:29-17:27⏩Russia and North Korea are to launch direct charter flights between the countries according to the head of the Russian Ministry of Nature, Kozlov (no further info provided). Jonathan questions the motives behind this, speculating that it could be a way of circumventing sanctions and enable North Korea to provide military support to Russia, such as troops and equipment.
Return to top⤴️
Russia Modernises X-101 Cruise Missile
17:27-18:01⏩Jonathan reports that Russia has modernised its X-101 cruise missile which now has an increased warhead capacity (from 450kg to around 800kg) according to Defence Express (no further info provided). Jonathan notes that this is significant as it means that even if launched from the Saratov region in Russia, it will still have a range of 500-700km (enough to reach Lviv) after manouevres.
Return to top⤴️
Wrap Up
18:01-18:11⏩Jonathan thanks viewers for watching and lets them know he will record the geopolitical news update soon.
Return to top⤴️
