The Biden administration has lifted the restrictions on American defense contractors who work in Ukraine. This allows for faster repairs of US-supplied equipment.
CNN, citing a source, reports that the Biden administration has authorized American contractors to operate in Ukraine, for the first since Russia’s invasion of 2022.
This is a major change from the requirement that damaged US equipment was transported to NATO countries for repair. The US troops were limited to providing remote maintenance support via video chats or secure phone calls.
The new policy, approved by the Pentagon this month, allows it to contract US companies for maintenance and repair of American-supplied weapon systems in Ukraine, including F-16 fighter jets, Patriot air defense systems, and Patriot air defence systems.
CNN reported that the Department of Defense is seeking bids from a few contractors to help Ukraine maintain its assistance.
Contractors will be far away from the frontlines and will not be fighting Russian troops.
The scope of contractor’s presence is limited. The deployment could be anywhere between “a few dozen contractors to a couple of hundred contractors” at any given time.
The official said that the Department took this decision after a careful risk assessment and coordination between interagency stakeholders.
He said that American companies have already sent personnel to Ukraine under contracts with the Ukrainian Government.
CNN reports that Donald Trump plans to end the Ukraine/Russia conflict “within a 24 hour period” if he is re-elected in January.
The military shift comes as North Korea has deployed approximately 11,000 troops in Russia’s Kursk Oblast to prepare for possible combat operations against Ukraine.
Mike Turner, a US congressman, said that NATO and the US should allow Ukraine to strike deep inside Russia in response to North Korean troops being deployed.
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