In 2004 Australia purchased 59 M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks (MBT) from the US, which were decommissioned in July of this year as it began to take delivery of upgraded M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams that had been ordered in 2022 at a cost of around $2.5 billion. Despite being 20 years old Canberra’s M1A1s have been relatively little used,
The Sydney Morning Herald, reported on the weekend that the Australian government was in discussion with the Biden administration to send the mothballed Abrams tanks to Ukraine. Citing government sources, it said Australia’s Minister of Defense Richard Marles had previously explored “various options” for providing the tanks to Ukraine.
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As the tanks are of US manufacture and contain equipment that is governed by US the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) export regulations then formal approval is needed from Washington before the transfer can take place.
This should, however, be a formality as the US has already provided Ukraine with 31 modernized M1A1s.
In advance of approval the Australian Army will inspect each of the tanks and identify any remedial work that is needed to bring them back up to operational standard. Michael Shoebridge, a former Australian defense official said, “These tanks are still in good shape. The Ukrainians are fighting a war for national survival so we should get them there as soon as we can.”
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Kyiv, the White House and Canberra will identify any crew training requirements, but this could be relatively minor and possibly even done in Ukraine. Ukrainian crews have been operating the tanks for some time so already have a trained and experienced cadre.
The three governments will then need to prepare a logistical plan for the handover of the vehicles and their transportation to Ukraine which is likely to be a combination of sea or air to a NATO country and then by rail or possibly road to Ukraine.
Australia has a large and active Ukrainian diaspora that, along with opposition parties, has been vocal in calling on Canberra to supply military equipment to Kyiv and have protested after other decommissioned equipment, such as patrol cars, armored personnel carriers, and all-terrain vehicles, were listed for sale on the internet.
Earlier this year, it was reported that the Australian Ministry of Defense declined to send its fleet of retired MRH-90 Taipan helicopters to Ukraine, despite official requests from Kyiv, instead opting to dismantle the aircraft and sell off their components separately.
Shadow Foreign Minister Simon Birmingham said, “the decision to bury rather than gift the retiring Taipan helicopters baffled many and must not be repeated with the Abrams tanks.”
He added, “Surely the easiest thing for Australia to give Ukraine is equipment our defense forces no longer want, and which Ukraine have said could help them.”
A decision to send M1A1 tanks to Ukraine would have no immediate impact on Australia’s operational security as the M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams is the latest and most advanced variant of the tank. The upgrades include improved armor protection, integrated active anti-missile systems as well as advanced fire control and communication systems.
Along with recent promises of additional Leopard main battle tanks from Germany the receipt of these M1A1s would be a vital uplift for the Ukrainian military, which is struggling on the front line against Russia's numerical advantages in troops and equipment.
According to Australian government sources discussions between Canberra and Washington continue to stress the strategic importance of support to Ukraine to maintain the balance of power in Europe. A position that the opposition parties endorse whole-heartedly.
Birmingham told Kyiv Post that “Australian support for Ukraine mustn’t be half-hearted as their fight is also a test of will for all democratic nations.”
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