WASHINGTON — Despite public assurances by U.S. officials about Ukraine’s military capabilities, recently leaked Pentagon documents paint a bleak picture of a state of war as Kiev troops prepare for a renewed spring offensive.
“I’m confident that we are going to meet Ukraine’s defense needs this spring and beyond,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Wednesday as he welcomed Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to the Pentagon. “And because the president has repeatedly made clear, we are going to support Ukraine so long as obligatory.”
But because Austin committed to proceed “fast delivery”.[ing] security assistance through procurement and from our own stocks,” a document published on Telegram late Tuesday suggests Russia discovered how to disable probably the most necessary capabilities American weapons have to offer: precision.
The document says Russian forces have begun “jamming” GPS signals that direct precision-guided munitions to their targets, effectively turning expensive, highly accurate weapons into unguided “dumb bombs.” The document has no date, but refers to February 15 and 21.
“[The military] grades Medium to High Confidence which caused the weapon to miss 4/9 [Russian] GPS jamming effects,” he says.
![ukrainian soldiers](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/NYPICHPDPICT000009534017.jpg?w=1024)
![Russian troops in a residential area](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/NYPICHPDPICT000009471711.jpg?w=1024)
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 last 12 months, the Pentagon has repeatedly criticized the Kremlin for using dumb bombs, sometimes implying that its reliance on unguided munitions means Moscow’s military supplies are running out.
“We now have indications that the Russians are actually dropping some ‘dumb ammunition’ – in other words, not precision guides,” a senior U.S. defense official told reporters within the early weeks of the war. “It is not entirely clear if that is by design or by default as they are potentially suffering losses by way of their precise targeting capabilities.”
Meanwhile, the US has emphasized its willingness to send Ukraine expensive, high-precision missiles and missiles – and defense officials say Kiev has less military profit from increased strike accuracy.
That uproar intensified last summer when the Biden administration agreed to send truck-mounted HIMARS missile systems to Ukraine that fireplace 500-pound guided multiple-launch rocket systems (GLMRS) with the power to hit targets up to 43 miles away.
“It’s form of the equivalent of … a precision-guided airstrike,” Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl he said in August. “[HIMARS] they were very effective at hitting things that previously Ukrainians had difficulty hitting reliably – supply and logistics center control hubs, key radar systems, and other things.”
But a recent document indicates that the US military’s Security Assistance Group Ukraine (SAG-U) suspects that Russian jamming attempts have successfully disabled even the GMLRS’s precision capabilities.
“[Russian] GPS jammers have a high priority for SAG-U and we are going to proceed to advocate/recommend that these jammers be disrupted/destroyed by land [launched] fires as soon as possible [precision-guided weapon] jobs,” we read.
The document is certainly one of the unknown numbers leaked online since last month, but Austin only gained attention last week.
![smoke flame](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/NYPICHPDPICT000009470821-1.jpg?w=1024)
![ukrainian soldiers](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/NYPICHPDPICT000009533707.jpg?w=1024)
The Pentagon doesn’t yet know the extent of the leak, but The Post has reviewed about two dozen related to the war in Ukraine since Friday.
White House spokesman John Kirby said it was unclear what number of documents were illegally released, and admitted on Tuesday it was “difficult to know” when officials would know the origin of the documents, saying: “I believe it could be silly for anyone to guess , how long will it take”.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday on the Pentagon, Shmyhal renewed Ukraine’s request for fighter jets from the US.
“In modern warfare, air superiority is critical,” he said. “That’s the reason Ukraine is initiating the development of a latest so-called fighter coalition, and we invite the US to grow to be its most vital participant.
“America can once more display its leadership by providing Ukraine with F-15 or F-16 aircraft.”
Ukraine had been asking the US for fighter jets because the early months of the war, however the Biden administration was hesitant to provide such planes, citing difficulties in training Ukrainians on Western systems and the necessity to avoid further upsetting Russia.
The request comes days after one other leaked document revealed that Ukraine’s front-line air defense forces could be completely depleted by May 23 without further reinforcement, giving the Russian military an air superiority they’ve yet to provide in a 13-month period. war.
Shmyhal also said on Wednesday that “Ukraine still needs intensive military support, more air defense systems that minimize the impact of Russian airstrikes, more heavy artillery, mortars and ammunition for them.”
“We also ask you to reconsider the potential of supplying Ukraine with long-range missiles.”
Austin didn’t say publicly on Wednesday whether the US would accept the request.