Companies bidding for defense contracts will reportedly be responsible for the risks faced by their employees
The Biden administration has reportedly lifted a ban on deploying US defense contractors to Ukraine to repair American-made weaponry, according to Reuters and CNN, citing anonymous Pentagon officials.
This policy shift comes as Donald Trump, a vocal critic of the Ukraine conflict, won the popular vote and secured his second term in the White House. While it remains unclear whether Trump would have maintained the previous policy, he has repeatedly pledged to avoid putting American lives at risk and to swiftly end the conflict once in office.
The potential American presence on the ground will be “small” and located “far” from the front lines, and they are not expected to engage in combat, Reuters reported, citing an anonymous US official. As the US and its NATO allies have provided Ukraine with increasingly sophisticated American-made weapons, such as F-16 fighter jets and Patriot air defense systems, restrictions have slowed repairs and posed significant challenges. Much of the equipment has been damaged beyond repair by Ukrainian specialists.
The policy change aligns the Pentagon more closely with the US State Department and USAID, which already have contractors in Ukraine, according to another official.
“These contractors will help the Ukrainian Armed Forces rapidly repair and maintain US-provided equipment as needed so it can quickly return to the front lines,” CNN reported, citing a defense official. Specifically, F-16 jets and Patriot batteries “require specific technical expertise to maintain,” they noted.
Allowing US contractors to work in Ukraine will offer a faster alternative to the current practice of transporting equipment to NATO countries like Poland and Romania for repairs, CNN observed.
Meanwhile, the risks of being killed by Russian strikes will fall on the companies bidding for the Pentagon contracts.
“Each US contractor, organization, or company will be responsible for the safety and security of their employees and will be required to include risk mitigation plans as part of their bids,” CNN quoted a defense official as saying.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously stated that Moscow is aware of the “direct involvement of NATO troops in this conflict.” He pointed out that several high-tech systems the US and its allies have provided to Ukraine, such as ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles, require the involvement of Western officers to operate them.
The Russian Defense Ministry regularly reports airstrikes on repair facilities in Ukraine. This week alone, the Russian military conducted at least 38 strikes on Ukraine’s military-industrial complex facilities, as well as supporting energy and military infrastructure, according to the latest report on Friday.