STUTTGART, Germany – There was a village to help Ukraine fight the Russians.
Consider a recent shipment of 105 mm tanks. Britain donated weapons and New Zealand trained Ukrainian soldiers in their use and provided spare parts. The United States provided ammunition and vehicles to tow them and deliver them to a base near the Ukrainian border.
Choreographing the scene was the work of dozens of military logistics experts gathered in a large, secure attic room at the headquarters of US European Command in Germany. The little-known group is playing a pivotal role in maintaining the equipment and weapons of the Ukrainian army as its battlefield needs become more complex.
Think of the cell as a cross between a registry of bombs, bullets, and rocket artillery, and a military version of FedEx. Uniformed officers from more than two dozen countries try to meet Ukraine’s request with donations from more than 40 countries, then arrange for shipments by air, land or sea from donor countries to Ukraine border to receive. All within about 72 hours.
“The flow has not stopped,” Rear Admiral R. Duke HeinzThe logistics director for European Command, told a small group of reporters who visited the logistics center last week.
As the 5-month-old brutal war seems to be drawing closer to a new stage – with Ukraine lays the groundwork for a major offensive in the south of the country – Ukrainian political leaders and commanders are pressing the United States and its other allies to accelerate and expand arms and weapons flows.
The Weapon Delivery Neuron, officially known as the International Donor Coordination Center, is where it happens. For such a high-end task, the uncooled room has a distinctly naked feel. Officers sit on long folding tables, typing on their laptops or chatting on headsets with colleagues in a number of different languages.
The center began operating around the clock in March, combining British and American efforts to coordinate the flow of weapons and equipment. This process is simple. Ukraine sends requests through a secure, classified database. Military officers review listings online to determine what their nation can contribute without jeopardizing their national security. Countries also contribute training and transportation. A three-star Ukrainian general working at the center answered questions and clarified his country’s priorities.
About 75% of the weapons were sent to staging bases in Poland, where the Ukrainian army received the goods and brought them back to the border.
In nearly five months, the center shipped more than 78,000 tons of weapons, ammunition and equipment worth more than $10 billion, US and Western military officials said.
When weapons are in Ukraine, American and Western military officials say they cannot track them. They relied on Ukrainian accounts of how and where weapons were used.
Kitty Bennett contribution research.
