The US military is training two Ukrainian pilots on American soil to estimate how long it would take them to learn to fly fighter jets like the F-16.
The pair are being tutored using flight simulators at a base in Tucson, Arizona, a senior US official told NBC News.
The official said none of the pilots will fly an actual plane during their time in the US. Up to 10 other pilots will arrive this month for similar training, dubbed the “Familiarization Session.”
“The program is about assessing their skills as pilots so we can better advise them on how to use the skills that they have and that we have given them,” the official told the network.
The official went on to stress that this is not an official training program and is not an indicator that President Joe Biden will send F-16s to Ukraine, despite calls from both sides of the aisle.
Biden said in an interview with ABC News last week that he was not ready to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine
The President continues to receive calls from both sides of the aisle to send in F-16s to support the Ukrainian effort
The Biden administration and Congress have channeled a staggering $113 billion in American taxpayer dollars to Ukraine in a conflict that has no end in sight
Biden said in an interview with ABC News last week that he was not ready to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pressed the US and its allies for jets, but White House officials have denied that they are not the weapons Ukrainians need in the short term.
“There is no basis on which our military has any justification for deploying F-16s now,” Biden said. “I’m ruling it out for now.”
The Washington Post editorial board urged Biden to send F-16s and Sen. Lindsey Graham, RS.C. said in a tweet that Biden is “disappointingly” ruling it out.
“It was like pulling teeth with this government to bring every weapon system requested by Ukraine onto the battlefield.”
On the other hand, Smith defended the Biden administration, arguing, “What we are giving Ukraine are the weapon systems that it needs.”
“It is not decided whether it is too escalating,” he emphasized.
In total, Ukraine is ready to send 20 pilots to the United States for training. “This is routine activity as part of our military-to-military dialogue with Ukraine,” the official said.
“The ‘Familiarization Session’ is essentially a discussion between Air Force personnel and an observation of how the US Air Force operates. This event allows us to better help Ukrainian pilots to become more effective pilots and better advise them on how to develop their own skills,” they continued.
Secretary of State for Defense Policy Colin Kahl insisted US F-16 fighter jets are not a top priority for Ukraine and would take 18 to 24 months to get them operational in the war zone
Colin Kahl, Secretary of State for Defense Policy, also insisted this week that US F-16 fighter jets are not a top priority for Ukraine and would take 18 to 24 months to get them up and running in the war zone.
The comments came at a House Armed Services Committee (HASC) hearing on Ukraine oversight on Tuesday.
It comes amid a growing split in the Republican Party between those who favor more aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russia and those who are fed up with pouring billions into an overseas war that has now dragged on for over a year.
“US military aid to Ukraine exceeds the cost of Afghanistan. Enough is enough,” Texas GOP Rep. Troy Nehls tweeted Tuesday.
F-16 fighter jet
Origin: United States
Contractor: Lockheed Martin Corp.
Manufactured: 1978 to present
Speed: 1,500 mph (Mach 2)
Range: 2,002 miles
Armor: 20mm gun; Outstations can carry up to six air-to-air missiles
Cost: $18 million
Defense Department Inspector General Robert Storch insisted there were over 20 ongoing and planned audits and assessments of the more than $113 billion in combined military, economic and humanitarian assistance the US had provided to Ukraine since Russia invaded.
He said his agency will provide an overview report on aid to Ukraine in April.
“We see no evidence of distraction in our reporting,” Kahl added. “We believe that Ukrainians use what they have been given properly.”
But Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz wasn’t convinced. He asked Storch four times in a row whether aid to Ukraine complied with End Use Monitoring, a provision of the 1996 Arms Control Act that requires the US to ensure that weapons it transfers to other nations are used for their intended purpose.
“You can’t truthfully testify under oath that the Department of Defense complied with end-use surveillance policies and laws during this conflict, can you?” Gaetz pressed.
“I want to be careful here,” said Storch. “We are conducting a series of assessments looking at the DOD’s controls to ensure they are taking the necessary steps.”
“You’re kind of dodging the question,” he said to Storch, as the OIG reiterated that an investigation was ongoing.
“I understand moving on – I look back. You can’t certify that everything was compliant with the End-Use Surveillance Act, can you?’ said Gaetz.
“So part of it ends up in the secret report,” said Storch.
Officials say the Ukrainian pilots are in the US for investigation
“I don’t know why this report is classified. I think the American people deserve to know if the 1996 law is being obeyed,” Gaetz said. “They can’t attest to it being followed, so I think they can draw reasonable conclusions from that.”
When asked if the 20 audits did anything to address his concerns, Gaetz told : “I’ve read the results of some of those audits. And after reading the results, I remain very concerned about end-use monitoring.’
Armed Forces Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers instead criticized President Biden for being “overly concerned that giving Ukraine what it needs to win would be too escalating.”
Adam Smith, a member of the Democrat rankings, meanwhile, struck a more cautious tone on aid to Ukraine.
“No blank check means no blank check. That means we don’t just ship whatever people want on the fly without even thinking about it. Okay, we’ll think about it and get Ukrainians what they really need,” he said.
Meanwhile, another four lawmakers, mostly members of the Armed Services Committee, signed a 16-member bipartisan letter urging the Biden administration to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets or similar fourth-generation aircraft.
But Smith threw cold water on the idea of giving Ukraine F-16s.
“We have determined that this is not a wise use of the resources required to win the battle. That means no blank check,’ he said.
US airline Lockheed Martin said it would build more F-16s (pictured) to “top-up” any European countries wanting to deliver their own jets to Ukraine via a third-party transfer
Volodymyr Zelensky (pictured January 24) is now pushing for Western fourth-generation fighter jets, like the US F-16, which can reach speeds in excess of 1,200 miles per hour, to be sent to Ukraine after supplies of Main battle tanks from Germany were secured in the USA
Kahl had said it would take 18 to 24 months to get a full fleet of operational F-16s in Ukraine, as he said Ukrainians are getting more involved with other weapons systems.
“It’s a priority for Ukrainians, but it’s not one of their top three priorities,” Kahl said.
Kahl said at the hearing that the US had not started any training for Ukrainian pilots on the F-16.
“I think it’s crazy,” Gaetz told of his colleagues in the armed forces’ F-16 push.
“I worry when I hear the push [for F-16s] because it looks like the Biden administration, which is directly ahead of us, to send something to Ukraine, says we won’t do it,” Gaetz said.
“They said that about the Stingers, the Abrams, the HIMARS, now they’re saying that about the F-16. Certainly, Lockheed believes there will be F-16s already ramping up production.
Kahl also pushed back on claims that the Biden administration was behind the ball to provide support to Ukraine over escalation concerns.
“More generally, I don’t think we’re withholding security aid from Ukraine primarily for reasons of escalation,” he said, adding that he was “relatively happy with where we are in the escalation dynamic.”
Kahl, meanwhile, insisted Ukraine would not lose despite reports that Russia was preparing a spring offensive.
“I think we know one conclusion for sure: Russia lost,” he said. They will emerge from this conflict a shattered military power.’
“Ukraine will not lose,” Kahl said, adding that there could be minor territorial changes in the coming months, but not major ones.
“The Russians are not capable of taking over Ukraine,” he added.
Kahl said he does not expect Russia to use nuclear weapons, even though Vladimir Putin formally signed legislation on Tuesday suspending the new START treaty, Russia’s final arms control treaty with the US
“We have made it very clear to Russia at the highest level that any use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine, on any scale, will be viewed as a world-changing event,” Kahl said.
He threatened: “Many of the restrictions under which we worked would no longer apply.”
Kahl said that Russia’s suspension of START is Putin’s way of “making some rhetorical headlines” but will have little practical impact.
When asked about his GOP colleagues’ claims that the Biden administration was too hesitant to provide weapons, Gaetz said, “I fear nuclear weapons from Russia more than broken tanks from Russia.”