Assessing U.S. Defense Acquisition During the 2022-2023 Russian Invasion of Ukraine
By Mark Temnycky
March 30, 2023
On 24 February 2022, the Russian Federation launched a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine. The war has displaced one-fourth of Ukraine’s total population, and tens of thousands of Ukrainians have died. Cities such as Mariupol, Lyman, and Sievierodonetsk have been completely destroyed. In 2022, Ukraine’s GDP shrunk by 32%, and economists predict that it will take trillions of dollars to rebuild the country.
Despite this devastation, the Ukrainians have held their ground. They forced the Russians out of northern Ukraine, and the Ukrainians have reclaimed territory in southern and eastern Ukraine.
This successful Ukrainian counteroffensive can be attributed to the Ukrainian spirit. Throughout the war, Ukrainian men and women have shown that they are committed to winning this war, and that they are determined to defend their homeland. International assistance has also played an enormous role in Ukraine’s success. To date, the Ukrainians have received hundreds of billions of dollars in financial, humanitarian, medical, and defense aid.
The Ukrainians have many nations to thank, one of which is the United States. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the United States was one of the first countries to recognize Ukraine’s independence. Then, in 1993, the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Department of State launched the State Partnership Program (SPP). The SPP assists former Warsaw Pact and Soviet states with their democratization efforts and helps them reform their defense capabilities.
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2023/03/30/assessing_us_defense_acquisition_during_the_2022-2023_russian_invasion_of_ukraine_890302.html
