US shift to supporting F-16s for Ukraine started a month ago

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III began last month initiating the Biden administration’s turnaround to train Ukrainian fighter pilots on F-16 jets after European allies told him they wanted to continue the training, a US defense official said Monday. .

Mr Austin led a meeting of top defense officials from about 50 countries — a collective known as the Ukraine Contact Group — at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on April 21.

On his return to Washington, Mr. Austin senior officials in the Biden administration said it was time to change the stance against the training and at least take steps to get other countries to give the planes to Ukraine, the official said. , who spoke on the grounds of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss internal deliberations publicly. F-16s would represent a significant improvement in the resources and capabilities of the Ukrainian Air Force.

After Russia invaded Ukraine almost exactly 15 months ago, officials in Kiev advocated advanced warplanes to overcome Russian air superiority. But the White House, acting on the advice of senior Pentagon officials, had resisted. The concern was that the jets could be used to hit targets deep inside Russia, potentially prompting the Kremlin to escalate its attack on Ukraine. Pentagon officials also said that other weapons, especially those for air defense, were more urgently needed, and that the high cost of the F-16s — up to $63 million eachdepending on the model – could mean other weapons and supplies being squeezed out.

But the American resistance followed a familiar pattern. The Pentagon eventually reversed course, as it did by supplying Ukraine with American M1 Abrams tanks. Several European NATO countries with F-16s in their arsenal called for an international effort to provide the training and transfer the jets to Ukraine. This requires US permission, because the weapons were made and sold to the United States.

Mr. Austin received unanimous approval from senior Biden national security officials, the defense official said. Just before the Group of 7 meeting last week, Mr. Austin made a formal recommendation to President Biden.

That recommendation was that Mr Biden “continue to approve allies to train the Ukrainians and transfer capacity,” the official said. The aircraft — considered “fourth-generation” fighters as measured by factors such as speed, guidance systems, surveillance capabilities, stealth and weapons — are not expected to play a role in Ukraine’s expected counter-offensive, as training will take months to complete. to last.

But “Secretary Austin believed Ukraine should have a fourth-generation air force at some point, so continuing to train made sense,” the official said.