The United States will appoint an American general to coordinate military aid to Ukraine and efforts to train the Ukrainian military, reports The Wall Street Journal, citing multiple sources in Washington.

The Chief of the US General Staff, General Mark Milley, visits the West Point AcademyPhoto: TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP / Profimedia

In addition, the aid operation for Ukraine will receive an official name, similar to how the Pentagon called the missions in Iraq and Afghanistan “Operation Iraqi Freedom”, “Operation Enduring Freedom” and “Operation “Freedom’s Sentinel”, respectively.

Choosing an official title is bureaucratically important because it involves long-term commitments, dedicated funds, and the possibility of special payments, medals, and awards for troops participating in the mission.

The selection of the general, who is expected to be a two- or three-star, also involves the creation of a team to coordinate the effort, reflecting a paradigm shift from the mostly ad hoc aid the United States has provided to Ukraine for years. .

Which includes the latest package of US military aid to Ukraine

Officially announced on Wednesday, Ukraine’s Independence Day, the $2.98 billion package is Washington’s largest military aid to the government in Kyiv since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a “special military operation” on February 24.

By comparison, all US military aid to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion amounted to $10.6 billion.

The roughly $3 billion in allocations “will allow Ukraine to purchase air defense systems, artillery systems and ammunition, anti-drone systems and radars to ensure that it can continue to defend itself over the long term,” President Joe Biden said in a press release. release

But unlike the weapons and equipment previously sent by Washington to Ukraine, which mostly came from military stockpiles, the new aid will finance the purchase of weapons and ammunition from American defense companies.

This means that although the new equipment will be modern and selected by the Kyiv armed forces according to their needs on the battlefield, it may remain in the hands of the Ukrainian military for months, and in some cases, years.