KTTH OPINION
Suits: US sending ‘the gold standard’ of tanks to Ukraine
The Biden administration has formally announced it will send more than 30 M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine in preparation for a Russian offensive rumored to come in the next few months.
The United States has committed approximately $27 billion for the Ukraine war effort since Russia invaded in February last year.
“That’s what this is about: helping Ukraine defend and protect Ukrainian land,” Biden said in a press conference. “It is not an offensive threat to Russia.”
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The M1 Abrams serves as the U.S. Army’s main battle tank, according to CNBC. It has been used in nearly every major U.S. conflict since 1980.
Germany has also provided military equipment for the Ukraine front, as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz aims to provide the country with two battalions of Leopard 2 tanks.
“Believe me, it’s not a super tank,” Bryan Suits said during today’s The Bryan Suits Show on KTTH, in reference to the German Leopard tank. “Ukrainians can train on the American M1A1 or M1A2 Abrams tanks, which is really the gold standard. The Abrams tank, at last count, is 2-0 against anybody, and it’s a top-notch tank that requires a top-notch crew and top-notch logistics, which has its problem.”
Suits discussed a crucial difference between NATO and Russian tanks: the crew size shrinks in Russian tanks. NATO tanks have a fourth person, known as the loader, who stands in the turret and loads the gun. Russian tanks have just a three-man crew alongside an autoloader.
“Having experience with U.S. Army and other NATO tanks, and then Soviet-era tanks, the addition of that fourth crew member is the unspoken trump card because, believe me, in the flattest places like Yakima, no matter what the problem is with the tank, you need four people. When the Russians have a problem with their tank, there are just three people.”
Listen to the rest of Suits’ breakdown on the Biden Administration’s decision.
Listen to the Bryan Suits Show weekday mornings from 6 – 9 a.m. on KTTH 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here.
