JANUARY 8, 2025 – Two senior defense officials told the media this morning that Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III intends to gather the Ukraine Defense Contact Group’s eight capabilities coalition leaders during the upcoming 25th meeting of the UDCG at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, in order to map out Ukraine’s defense capabilities in support of building a credible deterrent force through 2027.
The UDCG, which Austin founded in response to Russia’s unprovoked Feb. 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine, is a coalition of some 50 nations that meet regularly to discuss Ukraine’s security needs.
Within the overall UDCG, exists a coalition leadership group comprising eight capability coalitions. Each coalition represents one aspect of Ukraine’s military capabilities and is co-led by at least two separate NATO nations.
“The leaders of these coalitions will need to endorse roadmaps that articulate Ukraine’s air force, armor, artillery, de-mining, drone, integrated air and missile defense, information technology and maritime security needs and objectives through 2027. These roadmaps are intended to enable donors to plan for and support Ukraine sustainably into the future,” one of the defense officials explained.
When asked whether there was concern about the path forward for the UDCG should American support for the group decrease once the new administration takes over Jan. 20, the officials stressed that the multilateral manner in which the UDCG and its coalitions have been constructed will help to bolster the group’s future resiliency.
“We are very confident that the [group’s] multilateral nature, which was absolutely baked in from the start by Secretary Austin [because of] his absolute commitment to multilateral work [and] also his knowledge and respect for the capabilities of those European countries … meant that we were able to do more together with those aid capability coalitions than we could have alone,” one of the officials said.
“What the future is of those coalitions … is one of the reasons why the coalition leadership group will meet at the ministerial level to lay a sound foundation for the future of those coalitions,” the official continued.
“I can’t speak for what the incoming administration will decide about its role [within the UDCG], but I’m very confident of European commitment … ability … experience and extraordinary belief in the mission, and [I’m] confident that those capability coalitions will continue one way or another,” the official added.
Further emphasizing the first official’s viewpoint, the second senior official pointed out that, though the 25th UDCG will be Austin’s last, the Defense Department is not “sunsetting” the group, and the group’s work will continue.
“Because of the multilateral work, because of the capability coalitions and all that we have done, [the UDCG] will endure in some capacity going forward, I believe, regardless of exactly how the next team does or doesn’t pursue it,” the official said.
Since the UDCG’s founding in April 2022, the U.S., its allies and partners have committed more than $126 billion in security assistance to Ukraine.
The 25th UDCG is scheduled to take place on Thursday.
By Matthew Olay, DOD News