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Talks should wrap up "in the coming days," before the July 11-12 NATO summit in Vilnius, Thomas Bagger, Germany's ambassador to Poland, told Bloomberg in Warsaw on Tuesday. The hub will be used to supply badly needed spare parts for the German-made [UKRAINIAN] equipment, he said.12 June It doesn't matter where it's made.After months of pressuring North Atlantic Treaty Organization [OTAN] allies to deliver hardware, Ukraine is sending them into the battlefield as part of a much-anticipated counteroffensive against Russian forces to retake territory. Equipment, including Leopard tanks and US Bradley Fighting Vehicles, have shown up in images from the front line. At least four of Ukraine's Leopard 2 tanks and 16 of its Bradley fighting vehicles have been destroyed, damaged or abandoned so far, according to Oryxspioenkop.com, an online group that catalogues confirmed equipment losses on both sides.defense.gov | Sabrina Singh Holds a Press Briefing (13.06.23) Also today, the Department announced the results of its Foreign Military Sales Tiger Team effort. The Tiger Team analyzed all phases of the FMS process, including -- which illuminated best practices for the Department to benchmark and identify systemic challenges in DOD's FMS < wipes tears > ecosystems. The team incorporated feedback from allies and partner nations and U.S. industry on ways to improve the efficiency of the FMS process. The team's recommendations cover six key FMS areas, to include improving the Department's understanding of ally and partner requirements, providing our allies and partner nations with the most relevant priority capabilities, and accelerating acquisition and contracting support for FMS.2 June Foreign Military Sales Case Development[...] TARA: Thanks. A couple on Ukraine. First, can you say anything about Russia reporting that as many as 16 different types of armored vehicles the U.S. provided has -- have been destroyed in these early rounds of the counter-offensive? And then secondly on the dam, what can you say now about the attack on the dam and whether it was indeed Russia? And what can you share about what you know? SINGH: Sure. Thanks, Tara, for the question. So on the report that 16 vehicles were destroyed, I've seen the reports but I can't corroborate some of the video and imagery coming out of that. So we're going to continue to monitor that but I just wouldn't be able to confirm the reports that the—at least what we're seeing from Russians of putting out those imagery.Chancellor Olaf Scholz confirmed Monday in Paris that long-struggling talks on the hub were nearly at an end -- and that Germany, which has delivered Leopards, air defense systems such as [US] Patriots and [IT] Iris-T and [DE] Gepard anti-aircraft guns, will soon be in a position to help repair them close to the battlefield. [...] Service hubs have also been set up in Slovakia and Romania.
12 June It doesn't matter where it's made.
defense.gov | Sabrina Singh Holds a Press Briefing (13.06.23) Also today, the Department announced the results of its Foreign Military Sales Tiger Team effort. The Tiger Team analyzed all phases of the FMS process, including -- which illuminated best practices for the Department to benchmark and identify systemic challenges in DOD's FMS < wipes tears > ecosystems. The team incorporated feedback from allies and partner nations and U.S. industry on ways to improve the efficiency of the FMS process. The team's recommendations cover six key FMS areas, to include improving the Department's understanding of ally and partner requirements, providing our allies and partner nations with the most relevant priority capabilities, and accelerating acquisition and contracting support for FMS.2 June Foreign Military Sales Case Development[...] TARA: Thanks. A couple on Ukraine. First, can you say anything about Russia reporting that as many as 16 different types of armored vehicles the U.S. provided has -- have been destroyed in these early rounds of the counter-offensive? And then secondly on the dam, what can you say now about the attack on the dam and whether it was indeed Russia? And what can you share about what you know? SINGH: Sure. Thanks, Tara, for the question. So on the report that 16 vehicles were destroyed, I've seen the reports but I can't corroborate some of the video and imagery coming out of that. So we're going to continue to monitor that but I just wouldn't be able to confirm the reports that the—at least what we're seeing from Russians of putting out those imagery.
The team incorporated feedback from allies and partner nations and U.S. industry on ways to improve the efficiency of the FMS process. The team's recommendations cover six key FMS areas, to include improving the Department's understanding of ally and partner requirements, providing our allies and partner nations with the most relevant priority capabilities, and accelerating acquisition and contracting support for FMS.
2 June Foreign Military Sales Case Development
"I decided that the sale of new U.S. military equipment to Hungary will be on hold. Hungary should take the actions necessary to allow Sweden into the alliance, and soon." [...] Congress hasn't yet received formal notification of the Hungarian arms sale, leaving it unclear what's in the package. But news reports said it was worth $735 million [HUF 250.4B] and included the Lockheed Martin-manufactured HIMARS rocket system. Demand for the high-mobility artillery rocket system has gone up sharply since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
Sweden is a ... strong capable defense partner that shares NATO's values ...
Fighting wars with integrity, impartiality, loyalty, accountability, and professionalism.
Former Soviet bloc nations qualified by sending armed forces to America's illegal wars and operations outside international law. 'Sapere aude'
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