Cotton: ‘Foolish’ Decision to Reject Jet Transfer Partially Driven by ‘Significant Failure’ of Overestimating Russia

On Tuesday’s “Hugh Hewitt Show,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) said that the intelligence community and Pentagon have had a “significant failure” where they have underestimated Ukraine’s ability to fight against the Russian invasion while overestimating Russia’s ability and that the “foolish, really ridiculous decision last week not to facilitate the transfer of the Polish MiGs to Ukraine” was partially driven by an overestimation of Russia’s capabilities.

Cotton said, “Well, the situation on the ground, in many places, is atrocious, Hugh. You have innocent women and children in particular, since many of the men are off fighting, being shelled indiscriminately…but you also have largely stalled Russian advances. It’s a significant failure of our government, both the Pentagon and the intelligence community, not to recognize the Ukrainians’ will to fight and the challenges that the Russians would have, from a force that was too small and undertrained to poor maintenance and equipment, poorly planned-out logistics trains. We had a hearing last week in the Intelligence Committee…in which some of the leaders acknowledged they significantly underestimated the Ukrainians and they overestimated the Russians. And I think that may be continued, Hugh, in some of the administration’s decisions not to arm Ukraine to the teeth.”

He continued, “For instance, this foolish, really ridiculous decision last week not to facilitate the transfer of the Polish MiGs to Ukraine. I think, again, it’s driven, in part, by wishful thinking and overestimation of what the Russian army is capable of.”

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