A complex operation is involved as the U.S. sends weapons to Ukraine

A complex operation is involved as the U.S. sends weapons to Ukraine

NPR's Leila Fadel talks to Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost, head of the U.S. Transportation Command, about the massive task of shipping¹ weapons to Ukraine to help in the fight against Russia.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

We wanted to know more about this enormous and complex operation. The U.S. has moved millions of pounds of material to Ukraine. According to the military, it's the biggest operation since the Berlin Airlift in the late 1940s. So we talked to the person in charge of shipping all those heavy weapons to Ukraine. The head of the U.S. Transportation Command, or TRANSCOM, is General Jacqueline Van Ovost. She's only - she's one of only two female four-star generals in the Department of Defense² right now. She spoke³ to me from the National Defense University here in D.C.

JACQUELINE VAN OVOST: Essentially⁴, what we are is a global transportation company. We have about 130,000 sailors, airmen, Marines, guardians⁵ and civilians⁶ - along with our commercial partners - that provide global transportation services. So now as I look to how we do this for Ukraine, and providing security assistance and as well as providing assurance and deterrence⁸ for the NATO nations, we mobilize here in the United States, and we bring forward our soldiers. We bring forward our equipment to help assure and deter⁷, and we have brought millions of pounds - so far about 45 million pounds - of aid to Ukraine to assist them.

FADEL: Is that all weaponry, the 45 million pounds?

VAN OVOST: No, it's a combination of lethal⁹ and non-lethal aid.

FADEL: Mmm hmm. Now, you've had to move a lot of aid quickly. Were there any specific obstacles or challenges you had to get past to move it quicker than usual?

VAN OVOST: Our ability to move within days or even hours of the first request is because we so carefully collaborate¹⁰ and plan with U.S. European Command, who is in complete touch with Ukrainians to understand what their needs are and with NATO, all the way through to where our sources of supply are. So for example, with the non-standard ammunition¹¹ - ammunition that we don't actually have in our stocks - where is that? And, you know, who's offering it, and how are we going to get it there? And we have to work together with our allies and partners. You know, we've had over 30 nations participate, and so how do we best orchestrate that large dance across the globe?

FADEL: Now, you mentioned that you also work with private companies - commercial airlines, commercial shipping - that partner with the U.S. military to transport these weapons. How big of a role do private companies play?

VAN OVOST: In what we do around the world, we are inextricably linked to our commercial partners. When we first started providing aid to Ukraine - lethal aid - on 21 January, it was what I call a white tail, or one of our commercial assets, that was landing in Kyiv before the invasion and beginning to supply them with that lethal aid.

FADEL: I want to talk about cybersecurity. It's something you have spoken about a lot. When you testified before a House subcommittee in March, you said cybersecurity is a major concern of yours because private companies, unlike the military, communicate in an unclassified environment. So right now, with heightened concern around possible cyberattacks from Russia, is it risky¹² for the U.S. to partner with private companies to transport weapons?

VAN OVOST: As you know, I am concerned about cyber defense, both from a Department of Defense standpoint and from our commercial partners because we rely on them and their networks. But I tell you, talking to the C-suite leaders, they are very focused, themselves, on ensuring that they are a hard target. We've been partnering with our commercial partners to help them understand the threats and ways to mitigate¹³ those threats a little more.

FADEL: How unprecedented¹⁴ is this moment, in the sense of the speed and level of aid - especially lethal aid - that you're moving?

VAN OVOST: Well, you know - so I've been in the military 33 years, and I've seen nothing like it. Our ability to support another nation at this level is really - it's unprecedented. It shows, though, how when American leadership and NATO leadership come together, that we can move out and meet the promises - whether it's deterring¹⁵ Russia from attacking a NATO nation to supporting Ukraine in their defense of their nation and their humanitarian¹⁶ needs - that we will be there delivering.

FADEL: You are part of a transportation pipeline¹⁷ that is moving a huge amount of weaponry. Do you have any concerns that it could wind up in the wrong hands?

VAN OVOST: Well, certainly any of the equipment we move around to our allies and partners around the world - there is always a chance that some equipment will not be used in the way that we had intended or that it gets taken by another party. We have safeguards in place with respect to different types of equipment. But you know what? What I think about is the rationale for what we're doing right now, with the equipment that we're giving them and the support that we're giving them - that's what we want to focus on. Because we calculate those losses when we make these decisions and when the president makes these decisions, and it's our job to get out there and execute. And every capability¹⁸ and, frankly¹⁹, every piece of aid that I can give each Ukrainian is important.

FADEL: I know I can't let you go without speaking to you about the fact that you are one of two women who are four-star generals in the Department of Defense. I mean, what is that like to be one of two in 2022?

VAN OVOST: (Laughter) You know, I never wanted to be one of two, but it's better than one of one, which is where I started, so (laughter).

FADEL: Right.

VAN OVOST: So - but, you know, what an honor it is to command the men and women of U.S. Transportation Command. And, you know, I've had great opportunities throughout my life. And I say to folks, if you marry up your passion and your talent, you won't work a day in your life, everything you do will be rewarding, and the system will reward you, right? And so I've had great opportunities that I've been able to capitalize on, and here I am sitting at the pinnacle²⁰ of leadership, leading the men and women of Transportation Command and having taken part of both Operation Allies Refuge and now this - just this groundbreaking work with Ukraine and NATO. I just couldn't be prouder of what we do at Transportation Command and of the United States for the leadership role that we've played.

FADEL: But it couldn't have been easy coming up, I mean, a little bit lonely, right?

VAN OVOST: Yeah.

FADEL: I mean, one of two...

VAN OVOST: Yeah.

FADEL: ...And like you said, one of one at one point.

VAN OVOST: You can't be what you can't see. When you look up and you don't see someone that looks like you, it's very hard to think that you could actually do that, right? But I tell you, we just need to show out there that, you know, people - they can do it, right? Just because you don't see someone up there that looks like you doesn't mean you can't do it.

FADEL: General Jacqueline Van Ovost, thank you so much for speaking with us.

VAN OVOST: Thanks, Leila.

1 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

5 guardians   

监护人( guardian的名词复数 )； 保护者，维护者

参考例句：

• Farmers should be guardians of the countryside. 农民应是乡村的保卫者。
• The police are guardians of law and order. 警察是法律和秩序的护卫者。

6 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

7 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

8 deterrence   

威慑，制止； 制止物，制止因素； 挽留的事物； 核威慑

参考例句：

• An extreme school of "disarmers" pronounced stable deterrence was a dangerous deception. “裁军论者”中的极端派声称，稳定的威摄是一种危险的骗局。
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。

9 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

10 collaborate   

vi.协作，合作；协调

参考例句：

• The work gets done more quickly when we collaborate.我们一旦合作，工作做起来就更快了。
• I would ask you to collaborate with us in this work.我们愿意请你们在这项工作中和我们合作。

11 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

12 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

13 mitigate   

vt.（使）减轻，（使）缓和

参考例句：

• The government is trying to mitigate the effects of inflation.政府正试图缓和通货膨胀的影响。
• Governments should endeavour to mitigate distress.政府应努力缓解贫困问题。

14 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

15 deterring   

v.阻止，制止( deter的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• However, investors say are a number of issues deterring business. 然而，投资者表示，有很多问题让他们却步。 来自互联网
• It's an effective way of deterring potential does online, the logic goes. 逻辑上这是抑制潜在线上威胁的有效方法。 来自互联网

16 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

17 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

18 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

19 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

20 pinnacle   

n.尖塔，尖顶，山峰；(喻)顶峰

参考例句：

• Now he is at the very pinnacle of his career.现在他正值事业中的顶峰时期。
• It represents the pinnacle of intellectual capability.它代表了智能的顶峰。