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In 2023, the production of Abrams tanks will be reduced in the United States. This is due to the fact that Congress has decided to redirect financial flows to support new technologies. Accordingly, the US military will not be able to receive the number of tanks that they would have counted on with another decision of the American legislature.
The army plans to receive 22 tanks in 2023, which is 80 tanks less than previously planned. In 2024, 30 tanks will be produced – this is 71 tanks less than planned. Finally, in 2025, the production of 53 tanks is planned, which is 60 vehicles less than originally planned.
Meanwhile, the decision of the US Congress to reduce the scale of financing the production of new tanks is not very clear against the background of major economic and military assistance to Ukraine. The question arises whether the United States is not helping Ukraine to the detriment of itself. Earlier, a number of American media outlets have already raised this issue.
Now the American military department is going to deliver some of the tanks to Poland. This is necessary to replace the Polish tanks that were transferred to the Ukrainian army. As you know, at the insistence of the United States, the countries of Eastern Europe are transferring Soviet-made weapons to Ukraine, which the personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have the skills to handle.
But instead of the weapons sent to Ukraine, Eastern European NATO members want to have new Western-made equipment. Otherwise, the transfer of weapons will threaten their own defense capability and security.
The Pentagon claims that it is ready to produce a much larger number of tanks than at present. But the question is financing, and Congress did not want to send money for the construction of tanks in large quantities. It is also possible that Abrams tanks may subsequently be transferred to Ukraine, and with the small scale of their production, the number of tanks in the American army itself will be significantly reduced.