2 weeks Ago By Matthew Knott
One of the nation’s longest serving army chiefs has joined calls for Australia to donate its old tanks to Ukraine, saying he was baffled why the decision to send them to the battlefield hadn’t been made already as the country battles Russia’s invasion. The army’s M1A1 Abrams tanks were officially retired in July, with the first batch of ultra-modern replacement tanks arriving from the United States this month. An Australian Army M1A1 Abrams tank during an exercise at Puckapunyal in Victoria in 2018.
Credit: Australian Defence Force The retirement of the 59 American-made tanks, which were never used in combat, has focused attention on whether they will be put into storage, disposed of or given to Ukraine. This masthead revealed this week that the Ukrainian-Australian community was angry that decommissioned Australian military equipment, including long-range patrol vehicles and inflatables boats, was being auctioned online to motoring enthusiasts instead of being sent to Ukraine. Bought for $550 million in 2004, the heavily armoured tanks weigh 63 tonnes each and are equipped with cannons and machine guns.
Ukraine has made many formal requests for Australia to join the US, United Kingdom and Germany by donating tanks to help defend its nation. Earlier this year the government buried its fleet of MRH-90 Taipan helicopters rather than provide them to Ukraine as requested. Peter Leahy, who served as army chief from 2003 to 2008 and oversaw the introduction of the M1A1 tanks, said: “I’m bemused why the tanks aren’t on offer to Ukraine.
“Although we are retiring them, they are a very competent tank, they should be well-maintained, there are spare parts available and the Ukrainians are very keen to get them.” Leahy, the director of the University of Canberra’s National Security Institute, said: “We should put them on a ship and get them over there..
. I certainly wouldn’t want to see the bloody things destroyed or buried.” After insisting in February that sending tanks to Ukraine was “not on the agenda”, Defence Minister Richard Marles has softened his rhetoric, raising Ukrainian advocates’ hopes.
“There are a range of capabilities that we are talking about with the government of Ukraine,” Marles said last month when asked about sending tanks to Ukraine. “I’m not going to comment specifically on capabilities.” Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, said that tanks “are an essential part of our land defence, and our soldiers both need and want them”.
“If Australia makes them available to Ukraine either directly, or indirectly through the US, we will gladly accept them and put them to good use,” he said. Stressing that Ukraine was grateful for the $1.1 billion in military assistance Australia has provided since the war began, he said: “All Ukraine is asking for is the opportunity to use military equipment Australia no longer needs.
” Former senior Defence Department official Michael Shoebridge said: “These tanks are still in good shape. The Ukrainians are fighting a war for national survival so we should get them there as soon as we can.” Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis.
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