US Military structures for military and reconstruction support evolve
Reports – NYT 29 September – and public announcements suggest that the US is thinking about building institutions and processes to overhaul how the United States and its allies train and equip the Ukrainian military.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/29/us/politics/pentagon-command-ukraine.html
The proposal would streamline a training and assistance system that was created on the hoof after the Russian invasion in February. The system would be placed under a single new command based in Germany that would be led by a high-ranking U.S. general.
Over the summer, a cell of logistics specialists that matches Ukraine’s requests with military donations from more than 40 nations moved to Wiesbaden from Stuttgart, Germany.
The little-known group — formally called the International Donor Coordination Center, along with officers from more than two dozen countries — is playing a pivotal role in supporting Ukraine’s military as its battlefield needs become more complicated.
It’s worth keeping an eye on how this new US military command and its supporting institutions and processes develop as they are likely to impact on the final shape of the reconstruction programme. Weisbaden seems likely to emerge as a major hub for reconstruction while the fighting continues and there might still be a tussle as to whether the reconstruction effort is subordinated to the military as opposed to the development and diplomatic cadres of allied governments.
