Australia decommissioned Abrams tanks, Ukraine asked for them
Illustrative photo (Getty Images)
Australia has decommissioned the last M1A1 Abrams tank in service with its army. Previously, Ukraine had requested the transfer of Abrams tanks for its armed forces, according to the Janes portal.
The Australian Ministry of Defence announced that the last M1A1 Abrams tank was decommissioned at the end of July. These tanks were part of the 2nd/14th Light Cavalry Regiment and were stationed at a base in Brisbane.
Australia plans to replace the older version of the Abrams with the newer M1A2 SEPv3. According to Australia's National Defence Strategy, the new tanks will be operational in 2025, and they will be stationed at a different base in Townsville.
The Australian Ministry of Defence placed an order for the American tanks in 2022.
Ukraine's request
As is known, Ukraine had previously requested the transfer of the M1A1 Abrams tanks that the Australian army was planning to decommission. Australia had 59 of these tanks in service.
According to media reports, Ukraine submitted this request twice, with the first one in May 2023. Ukraine asked for the transfer of 14 tanks and for crew training for these vehicles. The Australian government effectively rejected the request.
It was mentioned online that Australia initially stated that the decommissioned tanks would need to be sent to the United States for repairs before they could be transferred to Ukraine. Another argument was that Australia intended to gradually replace the tanks, first awaiting the arrival of the new models before decommissioning the old ones.
Australia has provided both military and financial assistance to Ukraine. For instance, the country sent its instructors to Europe to train Ukrainian soldiers.
Earlier this year, the Australian government allocated over $32 million for Ukraine's defense.
