The American administration has repeatedly repeated: there is no question of sending ground troops to Ukraine. On the other hand, it is not excluded to use the services of the private sector to ensure the maintenance of American-made equipment delivered to the Ukrainian forces. This is in fact what CNN revealed, based on confidences made by four sources familiar with this matter.
So far, Pentagon contractors, which are not necessarily private military companies [SMP], are strictly prohibited from traveling to Ukraine. Indeed, recalls CNN, since the start of the war, President Biden has “insisted that all Americans […] stay away from the front line” in order to limit “Russia’s perception that the US military is engaged in combat”.
However, this approach poses a problem in ensuring maintenance in operational condition. [MCO]or even repairs, of military equipment supplied to kyiv by Washington… while some, such as the M1A1 Abrams SA tanks, require regular maintenance.
Currently, combat damaged equipment must leave Ukraine for rehabilitation in nearby countries [Pologne, Lituanie, Roumanie]. Obviously, this takes way too long.
Hence the idea of the Biden administration to reconsider the restrictions imposed on Pentagon “subcontractors”… especially since the MCO needs of the Ukrainian forces will soon reach a new level, with the arrival of fighters -F-16 bombers.
“Allowing experienced, U.S. government-funded U.S. contractors to maintain a presence in Ukraine means they will be able to help repair damaged, high-value equipment much more quickly,” officials told CNN.
Concretely, calls for tenders will be launched and bidding companies would be required to present a “solid risk mitigation plan” to preserve the lives of their employees,” explained one of these sources.
Furthermore, there is no question of reproducing what we saw in Afghanistan and Iraq, where thousands of “contractors” were deployed in support of American forces. The option considered by Washington would “only” concern a few dozen subcontractors.
However, a Biden administration official insisted that no decision has yet been made and that “any discussion on this matter is premature.” Really ?
According to journalist Philippe Chapleau, from the newspaper Ouest France, the Security and Defense Services Company [ESSD] American Amentum [35’000 employés] published, last month, five job offers for positions based in… kyiv and three of which concern the MCO of UH-60 “Black Hawk” helicopters used in particular by the Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense [GUR].
