Republican lawmakers on Wednesday warned Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin against sending U.S. military advisers to Ukraine.
Reps. Chip Roy of Texas, Matt Gaetz of Florida, and Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio sent a letter to Mr. Austin asking if the U.S. plans to deploy military advisers to Ukraine either now or in the future.
They ask if such a mission would include the U.S. directly hiring personnel or contractors and whether the mission would be conducted under foreign affairs, military, or intelligence authorities.
“Harm to our personnel under such a mission would be a tragedy and could easily trigger Article IV consultations or even an Article V collective security declaration by our NATO Allies under the Washington Treaty,” they wrote. “A military adviser mission would be one more step towards a dangerous, unnecessary war between the United States and Russia.”
The Washington Times reached out to the Pentagon for comment but did not immediately hear back.
The Biden administration has been considering sending U.S. military advisers to Ukraine since before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have called for a U.S. military presence in Ukraine to help with the war effort against the Russians.
Mr. Vance, Mr. Roy and Mr. Gaetz noted that publications such as Foreign Affairs have been prodding the Biden administration to send military advisers to the war-torn nation.
Additional Ukraine funding has been at the center of a spending battle on Capitol Hill, and a faction of arch-conservatives in the House is refusing to support spending bills that include Ukraine aid.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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