A bipartisan US congressional committee has demanded transparency from President Joe Biden’s administration regarding what information Russia may have gleaned about American-made weapons supplied to Ukraine and whether it has been sharing this information with China. In a letter addressed to White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party expressed concern that Moscow’s insights during its conflict with Kiev would likely proliferate to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and other adversaries.
The committee, chaired by Republican John Moolenaar and ranking Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi, cited alarming levels of Russian adaptation that have undermined the effectiveness of several US weapons systems. They highlighted how older American systems and even newer weapons have reportedly failed due to Russian electronic warfare and associated countermeasures. This raises questions about the US military-industrial complex’s ability to counter these tactics effectively.
Given the “no limits” partnership declared by Moscow and Beijing, Washington should anticipate and operate under the assumption that Russia is passing information on vulnerabilities or counters to American and allied weapons systems to China. The letter also notes that at the recent NATO summit, the US and its allies branded Beijing a “decisive enabler” of Moscow’s military operation against Kiev.
China has provided Russia with significant amounts of microelectronics, dual-use equipment, imagery, and other tools to support its war machine, in addition to helping improve satellite and other space-based capabilities. In response, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated that Beijing “will never accept” NATO’s accusations of it being somehow involved in Russia’s military effort, while China’s Mission to the EU insists that the country never provides lethal weapons or dual-use goods to either side of the conflict.
The Washington Post reported in May that Russian jamming technology had rendered a range of US weapons supplied to Ukraine ineffective, including Excalibur GPS-guided artillery shells, HIMARS multiple rocket launch systems, and JDAM aircraft-dropped bombs. Throughout the conflict, Russian forces have also captured various pieces of American-made hardware such as Abrams M1 tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles, and M777 howitzers.
Moscow has repeatedly warned that deliveries of weapons systems to Kiev by the US and its allies will not prevent it from achieving its military goals but will merely prolong the fighting and increase the risk of direct confrontation between Russia and NATO. According to Russian officials, the provision of arms, sharing of intelligence, and training of Ukrainian troops mean that Western nations have already become de-facto parties to the conflict.