The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States, General Mark Milley, said that the States and allies should help Ukraine create an integrated air and missile defense system — this is exactly what the Ukrainian leadership is currently asking for.
He said this after a meeting of NATO ministers within the Rammstein-6 format, reports CNN.
He stated that all allies should join this process, as they have the appropriate weapons. According to Milley, this is not an easy task, but it is quite achievable.
Milley announced a plan according to which various air defense systems that several countries, including Israel and Germany, have should be transferred to Ukraine. Then these systems can be integrated into a single system and used together to protect the airspace of Ukraine.
“The task will be to bring those together, get them deployed, get them trained, cause each of these systems is different, make sure they can link together with a command and control and communication systems and make sure they have radars that can talk to each other so they can acquire targets on the inbound flights," said the general.
Journalist "Voice of America" Ostap Yarysh added that Milley mentioned the Hawk air defense system and the improved Hawkeye. It was requested by the Ukrainian side.
"Thatʼs a medium-altitude, medium-range system. Itʼs an older system, but itʼs quite effective," Yarysh quoted the general as saying.
In general, Milley noted that the integrated anti-missile defense system will not control the entire airspace of Ukraine but will provide reliable protection of priority objects.
It is probably the MIM-23 HAWK, which was developed back in the 60s.
- On October 12 and 13, a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of defense ministers will take place in Brussels, as well as a meeting of the Contact Group on Defense of Ukraine — Rammstein-6 format. The Minister of Defense of Ukraine is present at the meeting. Its main topic is the strengthening of the Air Defense Forces of Ukraine.
- The German Ministry of Defense reported that Ukraine would receive additional MARS II and PzH 2000 self-propelled guns in the next few weeks.
- The Netherlands will provide Ukraine with additional anti-aircraft missiles worth €15 million.
- Canada will provide Ukraine with a new $47 million aid package. It provides 500,000 units of winter military clothing, artillery shells, and satellite communication equipment.
- Before that, on October 11, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine announced the arrival of the first of four German IRIS-T air defense systems and four more HIMARS systems.