{"id":63509,"date":"2022-10-11T20:49:19","date_gmt":"2022-10-11T20:49:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2022\/10\/11\/security-aid-could-protect-partners-in-russia-chinas-crosshairs\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:33:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:33:52","slug":"security-aid-could-protect-partners-in-russia-chinas-crosshairs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/land\/2022\/10\/11\/security-aid-could-protect-partners-in-russia-chinas-crosshairs\/","title":{"rendered":"Security aid could protect partners in Russia, China\u2019s crosshairs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The success of the Ukrainian army in defending its territory from Russia\u2019s invasion<\/a> this year has kicked into high gear the discussion about how the U.S. can support countries<\/a> in its adversaries\u2019 war path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Billions in weapons and equipment<\/a> have funneled into Ukraine this year, helping their military put into practice the training and organization the U.S. has bolstered in the country since Russia\u2019s 2014 invasion of Crimea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re obviously doing lessons learned work on our security assistance to Ukraine,\u201d James Hursch, director of the Defense Security Assistance Agency, told Military Times during a panel at the AUSA annual meeting in Washington, D.C. \u201cI think the major lesson that I would take away is that the strong relationship between our two countries … has allowed us to influence the Ukrainian military\u2019s ability to do leadership work and to understand how to operate in a very difficult conflict like this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much of Ukraine\u2019s success against Russia has been attributed not only to roughly $17 billion in weapons, equipment and other aid the U.S. has sent over since early this year, but to training since 2014 that helped them move away from Soviet-style organization to a command structure that more closely resembles the U.S., with a noncommissioned officer corps and integrated exercises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt goes to helping them develop and exercise their leadership,\u201d Hursch said. \u201cAnd then when the time came, and it was necessary, the ability to provide them with the types of equipment that were most important for the period of the fight that they were in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. has worked its way back up to just over $50 billion in foreign arms sales this year, Hursch said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat figure reflects the enterprise\u2019s contribution to the international security strategy and the national defense strategy,\u201d he added, \u201cto defend and nurture the underlying sources of American strength, as well as to lead and sustain a stable and open international system, underwritten by strong democratic alliances, partnerships, multinational institutions and rules\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond Ukraine, the U.S. has grown its presence in Europe from 80,000 to roughly 100,000 troops<\/a>, mobilized along NATO\u2019s eastern front, with a new permanent, rotational Army presence in Poland<\/a> \u2015 all designed to deter Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the other hemisphere, there are concerns that China is planning a comparable invasion of Taiwan<\/a>. While the U.S. officially supports the policy that Taiwan is part of China, the State Department has sold weapons to Taiwan\u2019s military and looked for ways to train its troops.<\/p>\n\n\n\t