“I think this is a very protracted conflict, and I think it is measured in years. I do not know for a decade, but at least years for sure,” General Staff Chief Mark Miley told the House of Commons. Committee on Tuesday during the defense budget table. “This is a very large-scale conflict that Russia has started and I think NATO, the United States, Ukraine and all the allies and partners who support Ukraine will be involved in it for a long time,” Milley said. Milley and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin appeared before the commission for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine in February and as Russia re-focuses on eastern Ukraine. The Pentagon has seen about two-thirds of the less than 20 regular groups of Russian battalions lined up against Kyiv relocate north to Belarus, according to a senior U.S. defense official. The estimate is that Russia will reposition, supply and possibly reinforce them with additional manpower before sending the units back to Ukraine, most likely to the Donbas region. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley speaks during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the defense budget for fiscal year 2023, Tuesday, April 5, 2022, in Washington. Evan Vucci / AP Ukraine has been fighting Russian-backed separatists in the Donbas region since 2014. A senior defense official said last week that Russia’s focus on eastern Ukraine could mean the conflict is taking longer rather than less because Ukrainian forces they know the area well and there are already many forces fighting hard to defend the area. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told a White House news conference on Monday that the next phase of the war in Ukraine “could well be extended” and that if the Russians succeeded in the Donbas region, the forces could try to seize other areas. of Ukraine. To help Ukraine, the Biden government is sending weapons to Ukraine as soon as possible and working with partners who have equipment that Ukraine wants that the United States does not have. Austin said Tuesday that the Pentagon continues to focus on aid that Ukrainians have used effectively, such as anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons. He said the Pentagon was working to rapidly supply both Switchblade 300 and 600 drones to Ukraine. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has raised questions about the position of US forces in Europe. Milley said Tuesday that the U.S. stance is still to be decided, but because of the war in Ukraine, there is likely to be an increased US military presence in the region in the long run. “My advice would be to create permanent bases, but not to park permanently, so that you have the effect of permanence from rotating forces circulating through permanent bases,” Milley said. The United States currently has about 100,000 troops stationed in Europe, the highest number since 2005. In the coming weeks, the Pentagon has seen signs that Russia is trying to relocate forces relocated away from Kyiv to the Donbas area, but has yet to see any evidence that these units have begun moving to Donbas, according to senior defense staff. formal. A recent British military intelligence report said many Russian units withdrawing from northern Ukraine may need major re-equipment and refurbishment before being available for rearrangement for operations in eastern Ukraine. Milley and Austin are scheduled to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday. More Eleanor Watson CBS News reporter covering the Pentagon.
