Officials said they hope it will speed up the maintenance and repairs of weapons systems being used by the Ukrainian military.
“In order to help Ukraine repair and maintain military equipment provided by the US and its allies, DoD (Department of Defense) is soliciting bids for a small number of contractors who will help Ukraine maintain the assistance we’ve already provided,” a defense official said.
Allowing experienced, US government-funded American contractors to maintain a presence in Ukraine means they will be able to help fix damaged, high-value equipment much faster, officials have told CNN.
“The Department made this decision after careful risk assessment and in coordination with interagency stakeholders,” the defense official said.
Instead, it would likely result in anywhere from a few dozen to a couple hundred contractors working in Ukraine at a time.
Persons:
CNN —, Biden, Donald Trump, Trump
Organizations:
CNN, Pentagon, Russia “, US, DoD, Department of Defense, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Patriots, Biden, Russia, State Department, “
Locations:
Ukraine, Russia, Ukrainian, Russian, Poland, Romania, Iraq, Afghanistan