David Silbey

Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy

David Silbey is a professor of history at Cornell University, specializing in military history, defense policy and battlefield analysis. He says the White House is likely trying to give Ukraine everything it can before the administration changes.

Silbey says:

“I believe Ukraine already has the ATACMS, but had been restricted from using them beyond a certain range. Allowing them to do so now will mean that Ukraine can hit targets deeper in Russia, both military and civilian, and will likely do some damage and force the Russians to pull military assets out of range.  

“In larger terms of the war, however, it’s unlikely to have much effect, just like the previous weapons systems (the Abrams tank, the F-16 fighter) that the U.S. hesitated and then finally sent. There’s no magical war-winning weapon that will reverse the tide, which has been in Russia’s favor for a while.  

“The war’s being decided in the East of Ukraine. It's being decided by firepower and human capital. On both of those, Ukraine is at a disadvantage — giving them the ability to strike deeper into Russia is not going to help against mass attacks in the east.”