Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Defence calls for winter support to counter Russian mobilization, says the U.S. government is “closer to decision” on air capability
Amidst a partial Russian military mobilization, Major General Volodymyr Havrylov, Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine addressed attendees in-person at the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA)’s 2022 Future Force Conference and Exhibition on Wednesday, September 21. The video of his speech is available here.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Minister of Defence H.E. Oleksii Reznikov was slated to speak via Zoom but were unable to do so because of the partial mobilization of Russian troops announced by Russia’s President Putin that day.
Havrylov termed President Putin’s mobilization a “desperate act” that “means we are moving to the end of the Russian empire.”
He expressed gratitude for what Ukraine had received to date. He said that the U.S. Department of Defense was very supportive, “that they understand the challenges,” and that they appeared to be turning a corner on the provision of greater support. “After today’s announcement [by Putin], we are closer to the political decision here in Washington D.C. that we deserve and really need to be provided with aircraft capability,” in the form of F-15s or F-16s which he said, Ukraine has been “begging for” for several months.
He called on the U.S. defense industrial base to provide training and support to counter the mobilization. He noted that Ukraine is in need of loitering munitions such as Kamikaze drones and anti-tank missiles with greater ranges than those used currently, with a capacity of up to 6km rather than the current 2.5km. “This war will only be won by technology superiority,” he said. “We have to be more advanced than Russia.”
“We also understand you face difficult times in terms of production and supply chains,” and a concern with ramping up production quickly. But he called for renewed support for U.S. experience with maintenance and repair and spare parts, and said his military prefers to work on parts in-country in Ukraine rather than have them be shipped elsewhere. He also called for equipment and clothing to take advantage of the onset of winter. “Winter is a window of opportunity” for Ukraine he said.
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NOTES TO EDITORS:
Future Forces Website:NDIA.org/futureforce22
About Future Force Capabilities Conference and Exhibition
The National Defense Industrial Association will convene the annual Future Force Capabilities Conference and Exhibition in September 19 - 22 in Austin, TX hosted by NDIA’s Armaments, Robotics, and Munitions Technology Divisions. This event will convene a variety of attendees to foster creative interdisciplinary conversation and collaboration. Top leaders in government, industry, and academia are slated to speak amid capabilities briefings, keynote remarks, panels, technical paper presentations, exhibits, and a live-fire demonstration
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