September 17, 2023 - Washington, D.C. — Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), along with Senators Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), sent a letter on Saturday to President Joe Biden, urging him to send MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to the Ukrainian military to use in its war against Russia.

Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas)

Ukrainian officials have long expressed their military’s need for the missile systems. The letter also notes that the Senate Armed Services Committee unanimously approved the Department of Defense sending long-range missiles to Ukraine.

In part, the senators wrote:

“The U.S. is fully capable of providing these weapons without any appreciable risk to its own combat capability. Ukraine has significantly degraded Russian combat power and only requires a small portion of our stockpiled ATACMS.  Further, the U.S. has the capability to produce hundreds of ATACMS and Precision Strike Missiles a year and replenish its inventory in the near term.”

Full letter of the text may be found here and below.

September 16, 2023 

President Joseph R. Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Biden:

We write to urge you to immediately send MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to Ukraine.  Additional delay will only further undermine U.S. national security interests and extend this conflict.

For many months, Ukrainian officials have stated the need for ATACMS to fill a critical gap in long-range fires capability.  Providing ATACMS would enable Ukraine to strike key Russian logistics and communications targets as well as cruise missile and drone launch sites within Russian-occupied Ukraine.  In particular, the longer-range unitary warhead variant of ATACMS should be sent without delay.  The recent Ukrainian strike on Sevastopol naval port using the British Storm Shadow long-range weapon demonstrated the battlefield effectiveness of such weapons.  Providing these weapons to Ukraine would maximize the likelihood of success in its current counteroffensive and follow-on operations.  ATACMS could also augment Ukraine’s ability to destroy Russian defensive formations.   

The Ukrainian military has achieved some breakthroughs in Russian-occupied territory.  However, there are reportedly as few as 30 days left before the end of the typical fighting season.  It is essential that the United States immediately provide ATACMS so Ukraine can achieve vital objectives before winter and deny Russia the ability to fortify its positions.

The U.S. is fully capable of providing these weapons without any appreciable risk to its own combat capability.  Ukraine has significantly degraded Russian combat power and only requires a small portion of our stockpiled ATACMS.  Further, the U.S. has the capability to produce hundreds of ATACMS and Precision Strike Missiles a year and replenish its inventory in the near term.

The Senate Armed Services Committee unanimously approved an amendment to the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act urging the Department of Defense to consider sending long-range missiles to Ukraine.  Delay will only cost more lives and prolong the conflict.  We urge you to authorize the immediate shipment of ATACMS to Ukraine.

Sincerely,
Source: Senator Tom Cotton