May 02, 2022

‘The king of battle’ — How US artillery in the hands of Ukrainians may reshape the war with Russia

Featuring: Col James Frey

Source: Task and Purpose

Journalist: Jeff Shogol

The 90 M777 howitzers that the United States is providing to Ukraine will not only make it more difficult for the Russians to move out in the open but the guns could also support a future Ukrainian offensive to reclaim Russian-occupied parts of their country, experts told Task & Purpose.

About 70 of the 155 mm guns along with roughly 70,000 artillery rounds have been transferred to Ukraine so far, a senior defense official told reporters on Monday. More than 200 Ukrainian troops are expected to be trained on how to operate the howitzers by the end of Monday with another 50 Ukrainian service members scheduled to begin training later this week.

...

“The one thing on artillery is: We’ve always called it ‘the king of battle,’ back to Napoleonic times, just because there’s really no defense against it once it’s firing,” said Marine Col. James W. Frey, a senior military fellow at the Center for a New American Security think tank in Washington, D.C.

Read the full story and more from Task & Purpose.

Author

  • Col James Frey

    Former Senior Military Fellow, United States Marine Corps

    Colonel James W. Frey is a Commandant’s Fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) in Washington, D.C. Col Jay Frey recently completed a four-year assignment wit...