McFate Weighs in on US Providing a Patriot Missile Defense System to Ukraine in Washington Examiner

December 26, 2022

Washington Examiner

Sean McFate

Maxwell in Washington, D.C.

NATO

Russia

Ukraine

Washington Examiner

Sean McFate

The United States could publicly announce new military aid to Ukraine, including the Patriot missile defense system, in the coming days, and its impact could start a new phase of the war.

The Patriot system is one of the country's most advanced surface-to-air missile defense systems and is designed to track and intercept incoming ballistic and cruise missiles and aircraft.

Sean McFate, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs, says that providing a Patriot missile defense system would amount to "a major escalation" and a "major provocation."

"I think the first implication is that it is a signal to Russia. It's a signal to NATO. It's a signal, perhaps, to Republicans in Washington, D.C., that this is an escalation that is not on par with things in the past, even like HIMARS," McFate adds. "It’s a different level."

Read more in the Washington Examiner article, "Patriot missile defense for Ukraine could save lives or be seen as escalation."