Political media outlet Politico reported on the 21st that the U.S. government is considering sending additional military advisors to its embassy in Kiev, Ukraine, as the U.S. Congress is expected to soon pass the budget needed to support Ukraine’s security.<\/p>\n
The military advisers will not have a combat role but will provide advice and support to the Ukrainian government and military, according to Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder. \u201c”We currently have an Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) within the embassy. \u201cWe are considering sending a few additional advisors to reinforce it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The ODC is entirely staffed by the Ministry of Defense, but as an organization within the embassy, it is under the command of the ambassador and performs various advisory and non-combat support missions. A Ryder spokesperson did not disclose the number of additional advisors to be dispatched for reasons such as operational security, but officials told POLITICO that up to 60 could be sent. Although the mission of military advisors is limited to non-combat roles, Politico assessed that this means an increase in U.S. troops stationed in Ukraine, as the U.S. House of Representatives recently approved additional support budget for Ukraine.<\/p>\n
So far, President Joe Biden has made it clear that U.S. troops will not participate in the war in Ukraine due to concerns about the possibility of a direct armed conflict with Russia. According to officials, the additional advisors will support logistics and oversight efforts for weapons being sent to Ukraine by the United States.<\/p>\n
They will also help the Ukrainian military maintain and repair technologically complex U.S. military weapons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"