The Historical Precedent for Sending Arms (and Even Volunteer U.S. Pilots) to Ukraine

It is undisputed that Ukraine’s armed forces are smaller than those of Russia. For this reason, to overcome Russia’s quantitative superiority, Ukraine urgently requires advanced military equipment that gives it a qualitative edge. Many in the West question providing significant quantities of quantitatively superior weapons such as Western tanks, aircraft, and long-range guided missiles arguing that this will provoke Russia and draw NATO directly into war with Russia. Fortunately, history provides the answer to the question of whether this is accurate. Correspondingly, Russia’s predecessor, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), provided substantial quantities of weapons, military technicians to operate the weapons, and even “volunteer” pilots to fly advanced Soviet aircraft against American flyers. This provides historical precedent for Western nations to provide advanced weapons, technicians, and volunteer pilots to Ukraine.

In a fine example of sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander, the USSR provided huge quantities of advanced Soviet aircraft, anti-aircraft systems, and artillery to North Vietnam during the Vietnam Conflict. This Soviet equipment inflicted significant material damage and caused significant aircrew and aircraft losses on the United States. Some sources credit Soviet surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) with limiting the effectiveness of American bombing. Terror in the Skies: North Vietnam’s Light Anti-Aircraft Artillery (historynet.com) This Soviet support for North Vietnam provides ample basis for United States and other Western powers to give equivalent support to Ukraine. In the post-World War Two era, the Soviet Union provided significant material aid to North Korea and North Vietnam. The Korean War produced more than 36,000 American dead and the Vietnam War inflicted more than 58,000 American dead. The United States never took military action against the Soviet Union in response to aid. Indeed, credible sources believe that Soviet pilots flew against American pilots in both Korea and Vietnam. It is undisputed that Soviet SAM technicians inflicted significant crew and aircraft losses during the United States air operations over North Vietnam. In fact, Senator John Kerry alleged that Soviet troops fighting in Vietnam shot down a U.S. aircraft and executed the pilot to “hide their tracks.” SOVIET TROOPS SAID TO HAVE KILLED U.S. PILOT IN VIETNAM - The Washington Post  (February 20, 1992, Washington Post). Max Hasting’s recent book about the Vietnam War explains that “several hundred Russian technicians and aircrew members served in North Vietnam.” Hasting, Max, Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy, 1945-1975, p. 364. While Hastings disputes that Soviet pilots flew in Vietnam, his book clearly documents Soviet trained North Korean pilots flew Soviet Mig-17’s (at the time, an advanced jet fighter) in combat missions against American aircraft. Under a September 1966 agreement between North Vietnam and North Korea, eighty-seven North Korean pilots flew Soviet Mig-17 aircraft attacking U.S. aircraft bombing North Vietnam. According to Hastings, they “lost 14 pilots and claimed to have shot down twenty-six US aircraft.” Id. at 374. Hastings also documents that the Soviets provided real-time intelligence to North Vietnamese air defenses by “relayed takeoff warnings from the Soviet trawlers that shadowed US carriers.” Id at 365. The Soviets, directly and indirectly inflicted significant losses on the United States. All while remaining at peace.

The United States’ support of the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan resulted in more than 14,000 Soviet dead. While American support was supposedly clandestine, it was an open secret that more than $20 billion was funneled through Pakistan to train and equip the Mujahedeen. The United States and the Mujahideen | History of Western Civilization II (lumenlearning.com) In addition to small arms, the United States supplied large numbers of Stinger anti-aircraft missiles resulting in loss of approximately 269 Soviet helicopters. The Stinger Missile and U.S. Intervention in Afghanistan on JSTOR. Far from causing war between the United States and the Soviet Union, the United States activities led to the collapse and ultimate dissolution of the Soviet Union and, a temporary, era of rapprochement with the United States.

In short, the historical precedent is that sending weapons and volunteers does not lead to war between the United States and Russia/Soviet Union. Based on the Soviet Union’s supplies to North Korea and North Vietnam, the sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander rule confirms that Russia has no room to complain about the West’s supplying significant state-of-the-art weapons to Ukraine. The United States and the West should seize the moment and provide Ukraine with significant quantities of quantitatively superior Western tanks, aircraft, and long-range guided missiles. Historical precedent supports that the West should also allow Western trained pilots and technicians to voluntarily serve with Ukrainian forces.

Malcolm E. Whittaker is a former candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives. Malcolm is an engineer and patent attorney in Houston, Texas.