In late January, 60 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles were shipped from North Charleston, South Carolina headed for Ukraine as a part of a nearly $3 billion military aid package.
"The Bradley is a very powerful vehicle that we are providing to the Ukrainians," Lt. Col. Rebecca D’Angelo who was a part of the logistics operation said in an Army press release. "This is going to hopefully enhance their capabilities to provide forward advancement in the battlefield and regain lost grounds, by having equipment that matches or exceeds what the Russians have."
Designed to help break the stalemate in Eastern and Southern Ukraine this spring, the Bradley fighting vehicle has long been a workhorse in the U.S. Army and will now be tested against Russian armor by Ukrainian soldiers in the near future.
This mission isn't as simple as just loading a ship full of Bradleys and sailing to Europe however. This is where the often overlooked ASP or Army Prepositioned Stocks come into play. After the Cold War, the U.S. military presence in Europe drew down, but prepositioned supply depots filled with war material continued to be maintained across the continent by soldiers and contractors so that if hostilities did break out, Army personnel could flood into the region and quickly take control of prepositioned weapons and equipment.
Since the war in Ukraine began, various ASP stocks have been mobilized for training exercises and deterrence. Now, ASP-2 in Mannheim, Germany is issuing out Bradley vehicles to help train Ukrainian forces.
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"APS-2 program provides turn-key power projection packages ready to deploy at a moment’s notice while helping to reduce the amount of equipment needed from the deploying forces’ home stations. APS-2 sites like Coleman help reduce deployment timelines, improve deterrence capabilities and provide additional combat power for contingency operations," an Army website describes.
The Bradley fighting vehicle has the potential to have an outsized impact on the battlefield during the spring offensive. The shipment was first announced by the White House in early January.
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