CNN reported yesterday that the Biden administration is finalizing plans to send Patriot missile defense systems to Ukraine, and that it could be announced as soon as this week. The Pentagon’s plan still needs to be approved by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin before it is sent to President Joe Biden for his signature, but the approvals are expected, three unnamed officials told the network.
It is not clear how many missile launchers will be sent, but a typical Patriot battery includes a radar set that detects and tracks targets, computers, power generating equipment, an engagement control station and up to eight launchers, each holding four ready to fire missiles. Once the plans are finalized, the Patriots are expected to ship quickly in the coming days and Ukrainians will be trained to use them at a U.S. Army base in Grafenwöhr, Germany, officials said.
Ukraine has been asking for the system for months, but the logistical challenges of delivering it and operating it are immense—not to mention the political and strategic implications of such an escalation. Despite those obstacles, “the reality of what is going on the ground” led the Biden administration to make the decision, the senior administration official told CNN, noting the continuing intense Russian missile barrages.
