The U.S. has given “formal assurances” to Denmark and the Netherlands that it will expedite requests for transferring F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine once pilot training is completed, a State Department spokesperson confirmed to Defense Daily.
“This way, Ukraine can take full advantage of its new capabilities as soon as the first set of pilots complete their training. F-16s will contribute to Ukraine’s defense and deterrence capabilities,” the spokesperson said. “We are appreciative of Denmark and the Netherlands’ leadership of this coalition to train Ukrainian pilots. The United States is in active discussions with our European partners about how we can support the efforts to provide Ukraine with F-16 pilot training as quickly as possible.”
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced in late May that Denmark and the Netherlands would lead the effort to train Ukrainian pilots on Lockheed Martin [LMT]-built F-16s to assist in its fight against Russia’s ongoing invasion, noting the U.S., Norway, Belgium, Portugal and Poland and others will also contribute to the initiative (Defense Daily, May 25).
“I welcome the U.S.’ decision to clear the way for delivery of F-16 jets to Ukraine. It allows us to follow through on the training of Ukrainian pilots,” Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said in a social media post on Friday. “We remain in close contact with European partners to decide on the next steps.”
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Friday also said Secretary of State Antony Blinken has sent a letter to his European counterparts affirming the U.S. will be prepared to approve third party transfers of F-16s to Ukraine after training is completed.
“There have, for reasons I don’t fully understand, been questions about whether we were actually going to do that. So, to put all of those questions to rest, then, in fact, the training will be followed by the transfer as we work with Congress to effectuate that and with our allies,” Sullivan said, according to a transcript of a briefing with reporters at Camp David in Thurmont, Maryland. “You know, we underlined, underscored, and put an exclamation point on that this week.”
Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters in June it’s still “premature” to give a specific date on when advanced fighter aircraft could be employed in the fight against Russia’s invasion (Defense Daily, June 15).
“There’s a lot of work to do. You have to do language training. You have to do pilot training. You’ve got to get all the systems set in place. So those wheels are in motion, but we’re a ways from completion of that project,” Milley said at the time.