General David M. Rodriguez

11/17/2022

11/13/2022

U.S. supplies air defense weapons, won't press Ukraine to negotiate, official says. As a counter to Russia's pounding of Ukraine's energy infrastructure with drones and missiles, the Biden administration announced Thursday a $400 million package of security aid that focuses on air defense, including missiles and U.S. Avenger systems. In making the announcement at a White House briefing, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the U.S. wants to improve the Ukrainians' chances on the battlefield so they're in the best possible position to negotiate a peace deal when the time comes. He also said the U.S. is not pressuring Ukraine to engage in peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Washington Post reported last week the administration has encouraged Ukrainian officials to signal they're open to such a notion, mostly to maintain the support of other nations that may be growing wary of a protracted war.

11/08/2022

While Russia's air force far outweighs Ukraine's, both in size and sophistication, Russia has resorted to firing long-range ballistic and cruise missiles, recently augmented by cheap, mass-produced Iranian Shahed-136 explosive-laden drones. Ukraine has had some success in shooting many of these down, but those that do get through have severely damaged Ukraine's power and water infrastructure, just as winter is setting in. And now a new report is warning that Ukraine is in danger of running out of the weapons it needs to stave off the massive Russian air attacks. The report, from London-based think tank the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi), warns that unless Western nations maintain and step up their supply of air defences to Ukraine. then Russia is likely to use the same bombing techniques it used in Syria, to devastating effect.

11/08/2022

Up to now, neither Russia nor Ukraine has been able to gain control of Ukraine's skies, largely because their pilots don't want to risk getting shot down by the other side's air defence systems.

11/08/2022

Ukraine war: West warned against complacency on air defence support.

11/05/2022

Iran for the first time confirmed it sold drones to Russia, but said this happened months before the start of the war in Ukraine. Speaking to reporters after an event in Tehran on Saturday, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian addressed claims by Western officials that Iranian drones were supplied to Moscow for its invasion, and that surface-to-surface missiles may also be on the way.

11/05/2022

The top diplomats from the world’s wealthiest nations agreed on a structure to funnel aid to Ukraine to replace infrastructure targeted by Russia after holding two days of talks in the German city of Muenster. The US is also examining options to address the damage. President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, met Zelensky in Kyiv on Friday to reaffirm US support to Ukraine.
Sullivan told a press conference in Kyiv that Ukraine had an “acute need for air defence in this critical moment The Pentagon announced it would fund the refurbishment of T-72 tanks and Hawk surface-to-air missiles as part of a $400m security assistance package for Ukraine, bringing its total security aid to more than $18.2bn since February’s invasion.

11/05/2022

Ukraine’s military says both were seized in March and took months to be refitted. The eight-wheel Nona commanded by Moriak has a 120mm mortar capable of firing a maximum of 10 rounds a minute. They left us this gift, and it has high, very high [precision], and it now works against them, it helps us push them away. Bakhmut has been an important target for Russia’s armed forces in a slow advance through the Donetsk region since Russia took the industrial towns of Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk in June and July.

11/05/2022

Awardees were: Jose Torres, Personnel and Administration; Venice Jones, Personnel and Administration; 1st Lt. Tyler Roylance, Support Operations; Maj. Patrick DeVera, Support Operations; Sgt. 1st Class Georgie Rodriguez, Plans and Operations; Natascha Lasky, Logistics Readiness Center Rheinland-Pfalz Steffi Maerthesheimer, Base Support Operations Transportation; Maj. Cesar Liriano, Plans and Operations (not pictured here); and Sgt. First Class Roongnapa Pham, Army Field Support Battalion Mannheim not pictured here.

11/05/2022

The commanding general of U.S. Army Sustainment Command visited the 405th Army Field Support Brigade headquarters Aug. 12 on Daenner Kaserne in Kaiserslautern and received a brigade operations and capabilities in-brief. Army Maj. Gen. David Wilson also took the time during his visit to the brigade to present ASC commander’s coins for excellence to several 405th AFSB Soldiers and Civilian employees.