OPINION:
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Republicans are wringing their hands over how to provide the support the vast majority of them acknowledge is necessary for Ukraine, while ensuring appropriate accountability for billions in U.S. assets being sent to the besieged nation. They are right to be concerned, as are Americans who are demanding we secure the southern border, now a present national security threat created by the Biden administration, with equal or greater resource allocations.
Providing military and financial assistance to another country at arm’s length is always a dicey proposition, especially a country with a history of corruption.
We can’t have it both ways. We can’t desire accountability and transparency but lack the will to establish a small U.S. operation in Ukraine to scrutinize the allocation of billions in resources a world away in the middle of a military conflict.
Congressional Republicans should publicly support the deployment of a limited set of military and civilian advisers to Ukraine to monitor the use of American assets. A monitoring regime that includes U.S. personnel must be a condition of further support.
According to the Center for Strategic and Military Studies, U.S. aid to Ukraine generally falls into three categories: military aid, humanitarian assistance, and economic support to the Ukrainian government. This last category is perhaps the most problematic, because the resources go directly to their government to allow continuing operations because its own revenue generation mechanisms have been disrupted by the war.
Advisers from the departments of Defense and State and the U.S. Agency for International Development should be employed to create an asset monitoring authority working with Ukrainian officials immediately. While this would fold U.S. personnel in some fashion into the operations of the Ukrainian military and government, it is perhaps the best way to monitor the effective use of American aid.
The White House’s expressions of hope about continued anti-corruption efforts are clearly insufficient to assuage the concerns of taxpayers, who understand the importance of forcefully countering an imperial Russia but nevertheless deserve a full accounting of how their money is being spent.
This is likely an idea that the Biden administration will reject out of fear it will be viewed as provocative or a bridge too far. But isn’t it time to dispense with the nonsensical contention that we are not directly involved in this war?
Russia invaded a country without provocation and has proceeded to kill tens of thousands of civilians, commit atrocities, and disregard international law. It cannot be allowed to succeed in taking over all or part of one of the largest countries in Europe. It must also be acknowledged that China, Russia and Iran are actively working to destabilize and attack the West through a series of direct and irregular warfare tactics.
To be sure, there will also be squishy members of Congress and television talking heads who will decry such a proposal, saying it puts Americans in harm’s way, while ignoring the global threats to U.S. security from the New Axis.
They would do well to learn from President Biden’s catastrophic failure in Ukraine. The president’s lack of deterrence of Russia caused this war. Had he had the stomach to keep the 100 or so U.S. military trainers in Ukraine before the war, it just might have had an impact. Instead, he raised the specter of World War III, pulled our troops out, closed the embassy, and told Americans to leave the country because we wouldn’t attempt to extract them later.
The Ukrainians deserve aid from the U.S. and NATO. Diminishing Russia’s imperial designs and military capacity is an important strategic goal for the West as the New Axis attempts to advance the power and influence of its authoritarian bloc.
More aid should not be a tough choice given the new global paradigm that now includes a war in Israel fuel by Iran. The real choice is how best to assume greater control over the money.
Authorities like the one suggested here have been done before in challenging environments. They are far from perfect, but they are far superior to throwing good money after bad. It’s time to put our own people in charge of our money and equipment.
• Tom Basile is the host of “America Right Now” on Newsmax and the author of “Tough Sell: Fighting the Media War in Iraq.”
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