Of the “ contractors » (employees of American subcontractors) on Ukrainian soil? According to CNNthe Biden administration could formally authorize companies from the defense and security services sector (ESSD in France, SMP in the Anglo-Saxons) to deploy in Ukraine where the White House still firmly refuses to commit American soldiers.
Major American firms already operate in Ukraine’s neighbouring countries. This is the case of the aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin and Draken International, which contribute from Romania to the training of Ukrainian pilots and maintainers and which will also ensure the maintenance of Dutch aircraft of the type F-16 ceded to kyiv. This is also the case of the large private military company Amentum (35,000 employees) which deploys its personnel in Poland, where they provide, remotely, maintenance of the 155 mm cannons ceded by Washington to kyiv.
No direct US involvement
But the same company (which bought the famous SMP DynCorp in 2020 and Pacific Architects and Engineers in 2022) is now offering positions based in Ukraine. The job offers were posted online in May. The job is to perform maintenance on helicopters Black Hawk, with which Ukrainian special units are equipped. The GUR, the Ukrainian intelligence service, reportedly has at least two of these helicopters which do not, however, appear in the official list of aircraft provided by the Biden administration to kyiv.
If the White House gives the green light, the services likely to be offered will not include direct participation in combat, but rather training, logistical support and intelligence.
