Austin Meets New German Defense Minister over Ukraine Tank Support

Jim Townsend, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense during the Obama administration, said the west should expect Russian forces to be cannier and more dug-in than the troops Ukraine bested last year. Ukraine needs durable and heavily armed tanks to team with the newly committed western infantry fighting vehicles.

“Infantry fighting vehicles are not tanks in and of themselves, they are meant to move infantry along with tanks in an offensive,” Townsend said. “It just pisses me off that we can’t get the Germans off the mark. If it takes us releasing some Abrams, okay, because I think they want to hide behind us.”

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