Retired U.S. General Reveals Where Ukraine Should Use U.S. Patriot Systems

The Patriot air missile defense systems that the United States is expediting to Ukraine will best serve Kyiv's forces by defending Ukraine's key cities and infrastructure, retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling said.

On Tuesday, U.S. military officials announced an accelerated timeline for the arrival of the Patriot systems that the Department of Defense (DoD) promised to send late last year. While previous estimates said the systems could take up to a full year to arrive in Ukraine, base officials at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, said that the 65 Ukrainian soldiers who've been training on the system will be wrapping up in the coming days.

Politico reports that base officials spoke to a small group of reporters invited to view the training protocols, and said that the Ukrainian troops and two donated Patriot systems will be on the battlefield in a matter of weeks alongside more soldiers who have also been learning how to use the Patriots that were donated by Germany and the Netherlands.

Hertling, who served as commanding general of the U.S. Army Europe, spoke to CNN reporters Natasha Bertrand and Jake Tapper on Tuesday to discuss the accelerated timeline, and gave his perspective on where the defense systems could be put to best use by Ukraine.

"It's a point defense system," Hertling said. "It's got to be placed in a location that is defending a target like a capital city, Kyiv, or a port city like Odessa. This is not a weapon system that can be moved around on the battlefield based on changing threats. It has to be placed somewhere to defend it."

"I would suspect where the most important targets are probably some of the cities that have been struck or some of the infrastructure facilities that have been struck by the Russians," he added.

Russian airstrikes have previously triggered rolling energy blackouts across Ukraine, as Russian President Vladimir Putin started targeting civilian infrastructure in recent months. This month, Russian missiles knocked out power at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, and airstrikes were also reported in Kyiv, said the BBC.

The Patriot defense system could provide Ukraine with a long-term defense plan as the country prepares for heavy fighting heading into the spring.

Air Force Brigadier General Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, also announced Tuesday that the DoD will begin refurbishing existing M1A1 Abrams tanks to accelerate the timeline of their arrival to Ukraine. President Joe Biden in January announced that the U.S. would be sending 31 Abrams tanks as part of a new defense package to Ukraine, and were originally expected to take up to two years to arrive in the war-torn nation.

Hertling told CNN that the Abrams tanks, which should reach Ukraine by the fall, will most likely be set in places were Ukraine has breakthroughs in their offensive campaigns, which the retired general anticipates could occur in the next few weeks using some of the other armored vehicles that have already been sent by European allies.

"[The Abrams tanks] will be in a place that Ukrainian commanders say, 'This is where we can make the most difference in terms of attacking Russia,'" Hertling concluded.

Newsweek has reached out to the Ukrainian defense ministry via email for comment.