Instapundit Reynolds posts extensive excerpts of a Wall Street Journal article (behind paywall) which look at a happy miscalculation made concerning the war in Ukraine. Western supporters of Ukraine assumed their arms support would be on the scale of, and similar to, what we gave the Afghans who were fighting Russians in their country (cf., Charlie Wilson’s War).
Western security officials say their strategy initially envisaged equipping a nascent Ukrainian insurgency—recalling the transfer of weapons to mujahedeen fighters who defeated the Soviet Union in Afghanistan—that would employ guerrilla tactics against Russian occupiers.
Instead, because Ukraine’s military has managed to keep Moscow’s forces at bay in much of the country, the task has become equipping a regular army engaged in a large-scale conventional war.
Before the invasion, weapons manufacturers weren’t geared up to make antitank and antiaircraft arms at a wartime pace. (snip) Militaries in Europe that have given their Stingers and antitank missiles to Ukraine now want to refill depleted stocks, creating competition for new units rolling off the assembly line.
Now, as the warfare appears to emulate World War II, defense contractors are racing to ramp up the supplies of antiaircraft and antitank weaponry and ammunition.
We can’t be sure it continues at this pace, but apparently the Ukes have expended a lot of ordinance, and we’re hearing of thousands of Russian casualties. At least the West can afford to replace the expended munitions, it isn’t clear the Russians can.
