The Biden administration has rejected a Pentagon proposal to send American contractors to Ukraine to maintain Western-supplied military hardware, including F-16 fighter jets, deeming it too risky. The White House expects NATO allies in Europe to handle the maintenance, with the Netherlands planning to fund a private contract for this purpose. This decision comes amid Ukraine's first F-16 loss and ongoing concerns over maintaining sophisticated Western weapons.
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00:00The Biden administration has rejected a Pentagon proposal to send American contractors to Ukraine
00:24to maintain Western supply of military hardware, including the F-16 fighter jets, according
00:30to a Wall Street Journal report.
00:33This decision comes amid intensifying debate about deploying U.S. civilians to Ukraine,
00:37particularly since the delivery of the first batch of F-16s in July.
00:43The White House National Security Council, after reviewing the military proposal, deemed
00:47it too risky.
00:49Intelligence officials have also expressed concerns about the potential of Russian forces
00:52to target American contractors in Ukraine.
00:56While the administration hasn't completely ruled out the possibility of sending U.S.
01:00contractors in future, it's unlikely to happen anytime soon.
01:05Instead, the Washington expects its NATO allies in Europe to take care and take on the responsibility
01:11of servicing the U.S.-designed fighter jets.
01:15The Netherlands, along with Norway, Denmark and Belgium, have pledged to supply Ukraine
01:20with over 80 F-16s, and it has already announced plans to fund a private contract between civilian
01:26maintenance company and the Ukrainian Air Force.
01:31The maintenance of the Western-supplied weapons have been a challenge for Ukraine already.
01:36Previously, the Abram-M1 tank had to be shipped out of the country for repairs.
01:41The F-16 fighter jets are particularly maintenance-intensive, requiring hours of service every hour for flight
01:48time and dozens of support personnel for each aircraft.
01:52The discussion around maintenance support has already gained urgency following Ukraine's
01:57recent loss of the first F-16.
01:59The jet reportedly crashed on Monday, resulting in the pilot's death.
02:04While the Ukrainian media cited technical problem and pilot error as the possible causes,
02:08a Ukrainian MP has claimed that the jet was shot down by a friendly fire from U.S.-donated
02:14Patriot air defense system.
02:16The Russian reports also suggest that F-16 might have been destroyed on the ground during
02:21a missile strike on Western Ukrainian airfield.
02:24The introduction of F-16s into the war have raised tensions.
02:28Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned in March that these fighters will be considered
02:33legitimate targets for Russian forces even if they operate from NATO country airfields.
02:39The decision now hinges on Ukraine.
02:41Does it has to rely on European allies and private contractors for F-16 maintenance and
02:47if they do, it reflect their cautious approach.
02:50Now, as the war continues, the effective maintenance and operation of sophisticated weapons system,
02:55particularly by the West, will remain a critical challenge for Ukraine.