The United States allegedly provided the Armed Forces of Ukraine with 500 ATACMS missiles as part of military aid. After intensive use of ATACMS missiles against military targets in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, the Ukrainian military now has only 50 of these missiles left.
According to The New York Times, "unnamed Pentagon officials" complain that the Ukrainian military should have been "more selective" in using ATACMS missiles to strike russians.
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From the perspective of Defense Express, we believe that this story should consider the NYT's claim that 500 ATACMS missiles were transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, of which only fifty remain in stock.
It is difficult to understand whether this information is reliable and true. In this case, the publication should be analyzed, as it may reveal potential disagreements between Ukraine and its partners regarding the use of Western missiles against russia.
It should be noted that if the United States has indeed transferred 500 ATACMS to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, this number likely represents the total transferred over at least one year. It is known that the first use of ATACMS by the Ukrainian military took place in October 2023. From this period, we should begin counting the time when the US started supplying these weapons to Ukraine.
For the United States, the number of 500 ATACMS can be quite significant. For instance, in October 2023, the IISS reported the possible availability of 2,100 units. At the same time, according to alternative data, the Pentagon had only 1,076 such missiles in stock in the mid-2000s.
However, this figure of 500 missiles is more relevant when compared to the realities of russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, during which the aggressor has already used up to 10,000 missiles of various types to strike Ukraine. It can also be compared to the realities of the war against Iraq in 2003, where the US Army used 600 ATACMS missiles in just 20 days of combat, not counting at least 800 Tomahawk missiles and other airstrike capabilities.
Although these figures should directly indicate that tactical missiles in modern warfare are simply necessary "consumables", like artillery shells, but not a game changer.
It is also worth noting the wording used by "unnamed Pentagon officials" in the NYT article that Ukraine "could have been more selective in its use of ATACMS missiles." This wording sounds so specific that it allows us to make the following assumption: if the United States does share intelligence with Ukraine that is necessary to hit military targets, it appears to be very limited and insufficient in quantity.
At the same time, it seems strange that these "unnamed Pentagon officials" claim the transferred ATACMS "could have been used more selectively," yet they do not address the impact these missiles had on russian military targets in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
For example, regular missile attacks by the Defense Forces of Ukraine on the temporarily occupied Crimea did not allow russians to use the peninsula as a foothold for a "major offensive" in the South. This slightly has simplified the situation for the Ukrainian army in the southern sectors of the front.
We can only wonder why the Americans are missing the opportunity to use this story of ATACMS supplies to the Armed Forces of Ukraine as an excuse to "promote" the achievements of their military industry.
This, in turn, highlights the need for Ukraine and other European countries to invest in their own missile programs to reduce dependence on the White House's restrictions.
Earlier Defense Express reported that Ukraine’s long-range drones are capable of reaching 2,000 km and pose strategic threat to russia.
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