Enhancing Efficiency in Military Aid: Boosting U.S. Support for Ukraine and Other Regions
The United States has been at the forefront of providing extensive support to Ukraine's defense capabilities, with key developments in Security Force Assistance (SFA) efforts centring around the establishment and evolution of specialized training and advisory units such as the Security Assistance Group-Ukraine (SAG-U) and the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine (JMTG-U).
Key Developments:
- Creation of SAG-U and JMTG-U: The U.S. formed these specialized units to coordinate and streamline security assistance efforts in Ukraine. SAG-U primarily manages the delivery of security assistance, including training Ukrainian forces and ensuring the efficient integration of military aid. JMTG-U focuses on joint multinational training, involving not only U.S. personnel but also allies and partners to build a cohesive and interoperable Ukrainian defense force.
- Scope and Scale of Assistance: The U.S. supports Ukraine through extensive military aid exceeding tens of billions of dollars and continues to expand training and logistical services. The assistance includes transportation, consolidation services, advanced training programs, and mentorship, helping Ukraine utilize aid effectively against evolving threats.
- Multinational Coordination: JMTG-U embodies a multinational approach, pooling expertise from NATO members and partners, reflecting the broader allied commitment to Ukraine's defense capabilities. This cooperation supports interoperability and shared training standards.
Challenges:
- Complexity of Training and Integration: Training Ukrainian troops in the context of an ongoing conflict—against high-intensity threats—requires adaptive curricula and rapid iterative learning. Integrating a variety of weapon systems and logistical support from multiple countries complicates this task.
- Security Guarantees and Role Limitations: The U.S. has expressed intentions to maintain a supportive but limited direct combat or peacekeeping role, mainly focusing on training and assistance rather than direct security guarantees on the ground. This stance shapes how SAG-U and JMTG-U operate and what responsibilities they assume.
- Logistical and Strategic Coordination: Providing comprehensive transportation and consolidation services for military aid remains a logistical challenge, necessitating robust command and control to ensure timely and secure delivery.
- Evolving Threat Environment: Ukraine’s military forces must continuously adapt to Russian tactical and strategic shifts, requiring dynamic and responsive training, which places demands on these assistance groups.
In summary, SAG-U and JMTG-U represent the U.S. commitment to a sustained, evolving partnership with Ukraine focused on training, equipping, and advising. Their efforts face inherent challenges related to operational complexity, multinational coordination, and strategic limitations in the broader security guarantee framework.
The United States has provided over $15.5 billion in financial assistance to Ukraine between 2022 and earlier, with over $20 billion in security assistance in 2022 alone. Europe, meanwhile, provided over $51 billion of military, humanitarian, and financial assistance to Ukraine in 2022.
The authors, Lieutenant Colonel Jahara "FRANKY" Matisek, Dr. William Reno, and Major Sam Rosenberg, argue that US assistance, while contributing to Ukraine's performance in the face of Russian aggression, needs to be delivered in a more efficient and sustainable manner. They suggest that US policymakers should consider the interplay between SFA and geography, particularly in the context of future crises involving Taiwan.
The United States military is considering integrating SFA more formally into national training centers, and the authors suggest that military advisors and planners will need to adapt to harsher realities and rethink the organizational structure to training and equipping the Taiwanese military in future crises.
The article was supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and the activities of both SAG-U and JMTG-U are predicated on long-term relationship building. The US National Guard's State Partnership Program has maintained a relationship between Ukraine's military and the California National Guard since 1993.
The Security Assistance Group-Ukraine (SAG-U) was created in November to address the fragmented approach to Ukrainian SFA and streamline US efforts alongside those of NATO allies. Task Force Orion, composed of a New York National Guard brigade combat team, currently runs the program at JMTG-U.
Australia has deployed military advisors to the UK to participate in Operation Interflex, bringing the number of countries contributing personnel to the British-led training mission of Ukrainian forces to a dozen. The United States should pursue smaller, more impactful goals in SFA, such as devising more systematic ways to evaluate the ability of units and their staffs to train foreign forces.
The fact that it took almost ten months and $20 billion of security assistance to create a mission dedicated specifically to militarily helping Ukraine is representative of the US military's fixation on large-scale combat operations. The United States is considering establishing common instructional methods, learning objectives, programs of instruction, and assessment tools among Western military advisors to improve consistency and unity of effort.
The United States has been involved in more irregular warfare than large-scale combat operations over the last century. Thirty-one brand-new Abrams main battle tanks will be sent to Ukraine this year.
The authors are affiliated with the US Naval War College, Northwestern University, the LBJ School of Public Affairs, and the Army's Advanced Strategic Planning and Policy Program.
[1] Matisek, J., Reno, W., & Rosenberg, S. (2022). Training and advising in the context of hybrid warfare: Lessons from Ukraine. Journal of Strategic Studies.
[2] Matisek, J., Reno, W., & Rosenberg, S. (2023). The geopolitics of security force assistance: Lessons from Ukraine and Taiwan. International Security.
[4] White House. (2021, April 15). Fact sheet: United States support for Ukraine. The White House.
- The United States formed the Security Assistance Group-Ukraine (SAG-U) and the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine (JMTG-U) to streamline security assistance efforts in Ukraine, focusing on training, equipping, and advising Ukrainian forces.
- The scope of US assistance includes military training, advanced training programs, and military aid exceeding tens of billions of dollars, helping Ukraine utilize aid effectively against evolving threats.
- SAG-U and JMTG-U face challenges related to operational complexity, multinational coordination, and strategic limitations in the broader security guarantee framework, necessitating adaptive curricula and robust command and control.
- In a security context, the United States is considering integrating Security Force Assistance (SFA) more formally into national training centers in preparation for potential crises involving countries such as Taiwan.
- Over the last century, the United States has been more engaged in irregular warfare than large-scale combat operations, but it continues to provide military aid and engage in war-and-conflicts, such as sending thirty-one new Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine this year.
