At the press conference following the Ukraine Defense Contact Group let by joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin highlighted the tough technical challenge ahead even after Germany supplied its first IRIS-T air defense system to Ukraine, Defense News reports.
The Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov stated that air defense systems are the country’s top priority after severe missile and drone attacks.
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NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg admitted on Tuesday that such attacks against Ukrainian cities demonstrate urgent need for more air defense for Ukraine.
In a news conference at NATO headquarters on Wednesday, Austin said the Ukraine Defense Contact Group discussed ways to increase training of Ukrainian forces, accountability measures of arms sent to Ukraine and the allied push to “galvanize our industrial bases to fire up production for the systems to defend Ukraine while meeting our own security needs.” He pointed to German and Danish investments in Slovakia’s howitzer production.
Ukraine's request for an integrated air and missile defense system was in the spotlight and the allies would strive to fulfil it, as Milley said. The aim will be to supply short-range, low-altitude systems; medium-range, medium-altitude systems; and long-range, high-altitude systems that together would neutralize the threat of Russian aircraft and missiles.
“What needs to be done here by all of the countries at the conference today is chip in and help them rebuild and sustain an integrated air and missile defense system, specifically old systems,” Milley said.
He also added: “So far, Ukraine has very effectively used their SA-6s and -8s, S-300s and SC-10, -11s, et cetera. So they've been very effective at denying Russian air superiority.“
Gen. Milley mentioned: “Ukraine has asked for HAWK, or improved HAWK, I-HAWK, as it's called.That's a medium-altitude, medium-range system.It's an older system, but it's quite effective.“
Ukraine hopes to also receive donations of American-made Patriot systems, German systems and unnamed Israeli systems.
It is not an easy task, as disparate systems would have to be brought together, deployed, and made to communicate with radars and each other in order to acquire Russian targets and Ukrainian forces would have to be trained on it all, “So it’s quite complicated from a technical standpoint. It is achievable, and that’s what we’re aiming at,” he added.
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