A multi-country arms transfer operation to Ukraine — recently inspected by the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, General Mark Milley, near the Ukrainian border last week — is currently in full swing at a secret Eastern European airport, according to a senior U.S. Department of Defense official on Monday.
According to CNN, General Milley also met with soldiers and their personnel at the unnamed airport and witnessed the arms transfer operation, a Pentagon official told the news television station.
Airport traffic has increased significantly in recent days. Instead of the usual few flights a day, it has reached a maximum of 17 per day.
CNN stressed that the exact location of the airport remains secret in order to protect the security of arms shipments to Ukraine, including anti-tank missiles.
The United States and other NATO members have so far sent 17,000 anti-tank missiles and 2,000 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to the Ukrainian army, CNN was informed by a senior U.S. official.
Even before the Russian war against Ukraine on Feb. 24, military cargo aircraft from the United States and other countries, primarily the C-17s, the backbone of the U.S. cargo fleet, flew over Europe. These flights carried military troops to NATO’s eastern flank, but also carried weapons to military transfer stations from where they could later be transported to Ukraine. CNN says the number of military flights is growing steadily.
The U.S. Army’s European Command (EUCOM) is constantly “live,” coordinating this large-scale military arms transfer operation with NATO allies and other partner countries to bring shipments to Ukraine, another Pentagon official stressed. His words revealed that EUCOM is also in talks with the U.K. to “provide organized support to Ukraine, using our resources to the fullest extent possible.”
Due to their effectiveness against Russian armored vehicles, Ukrainians have already nicknamed the Javelin anti-tank missiles “Saint Javelin”. The missiles, introduced by the U.S. armed forces in 1996, have an effective range of 2,500 to 4,750 meters and can penetrate 75 centimeters (30 inches) of steel armor.
