FOREIGN POLICY/MILITARY/RUSSIA/UKRAINE: “U.S. plans to arm Ukraine infuriated Russia and aggravated deteriorating relations, but a bigger worry is the weapons falling into enemy hands—as has happened before.
Washington last month decided to send lethal aid to Ukraine to prevent aggression by pro-Russia separatists. The move is meant to keep the simmering conflict from flaring into a hot war by improving government forces’ ability to defend against possible rebel offensives.
But the policy is fraught with potential national-security pitfalls, particularly the risk of the weapons ending up on the other side.
U.S. officials say they have carefully considered the dangers, taking particular precautions with Javelin anti-tank missiles the Trump administration is sending… A Ukraine military spokesman said it intentionally destroyed parts of the radar system before the withdrawal and immediately informed the U.S. An official close to the Russian defense ministry said the capture was less a military-technology gold mine than a psychological victory and chance for nose-thumbing at U.S. policy.
The problem hasn’t been limited to Ukraine. The U.S. provided aid, including training and equipment, to Georgia during its 2008 conflict with Russia-backed separatists in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and American-issued equipment was captured on Georgian bases.”
-Thomas Grove and Julian E. Barnes, “U.S., Ukraine Try to Ensure Weapons Don’t Fall to Enemy,” The Wall Street Journal online, Jan. 4, 2018 07:06am