The United States could deliver M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine much faster than expected

On January 24, Washington announced the dispatch of 30–50 M1 Abrams heavy tanks to Ukraine, largely to unblock the situation in Europe regarding Leopard 2 Germans, Berlin refusing to commit to delivering or authorizing the delivery of its tanks without the United States having previously made the same announcement. However, it was quickly announced that the 31 tanks which would be delivered to Ukraine would not be taken from US Army stocks, as is the case with Leopard 2 German, Portuguese, Finnish or Polish, but would be the subject of special manufacturing, in particular to eliminate certain components deemed critical if they were to fall into the hands of the Russian military. In fact, the American Abrams were not expected to arrive in Ukraine before 2024, or at the end of 2023 in the best case, knowing that other countries, such as Taiwan and Poland, are also awaiting delivery of their M1A2 heavy tanks.

As Joe Biden wraps up his surprise visit to Kyiv where he announced $5 billion in new military equipment aid to Ukraine, as well as the United States' unwavering support for the Ukrainian cause, the lines seem he moved to the White House about it. Indeed, according to the confidences made by Stanley Brown, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, to the American defense information site breakingdefense.com, it is now planned to send Abrams to Ukraine, not specially manufactured, but taken from US Army stocks, which would make it possible to deliver the tanks much more quickly, especially since the latter still use several models. of Abrams, and not only the last and very confidential version M1A2 SEPv3, making it possible to neutralize part of the concerns of the American military and industrialists on this subject.

The announcement will probably be very well received in Kyiv. Indeed, the Ukrainian armies would have lost, according to the admission of the General Staff, half of the thousand T-64M which constituted the bulk of its battle corps before little, as well as a large part of its T -72 and those delivered by its Eastern European allies. At the same time, European aid for heavy tanks, despite the psychodrama orchestrated by Warsaw on this subject a month ago, promises to be limited in the short to medium term, and that most of the park will be made up of Leopard 2A4 much older and less efficient than the fifteen A6s which will be delivered by Berlin with the help of Lisbon. In fact, and despite the resistance of the Ukrainian forces still today in the face of repeated Russian attacks, the need to strengthen their defense capabilities but also their maneuvering capabilities is now very important, and above all very urgent. It is probably to respond to this obviously critical situation that Washington is now considering delivering some of its own Abrams.

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