I also looked into the US’s use of spare parts, which I acquired through satellite imagery from various dates. Interestingly, I found 400 tanks at the Aniston Army Depot, 204 stripped-down hulls, and over 2,199 good tanks in total storage. This number is 30% lower than Russia’s, with a total of 4,911 good tanks and 6,341 including all tanks. So, what’s going on? One reason is that the US regularly upgrades old M1s to the latest M1A2s, a process that removes them from the total count. Another possibility is that the US stores tanks for potential use, but not for active duty.

I also discovered that the US has around 2,500 tanks, including those stored in Europe. This is due to the country’s unique system of pre-positioned war reserve material (PWRS), which was created to rapidly reinforce Europe during the Cold War. The US has several such sites, holding equipment and supplies for Brigade combat teams, and more. While this answers some questions, it raises others. For instance, what’s driving the decrease in US tank numbers? I believe it’s a combination of factors, such as the passage of time, upgrades, and the need to develop a replacement for the Abrams. This has led to the decision to dip into reserves to supply countries like Ukraine, which requires a more immediate response. And so, I conclude that the real number of US tanks available for Ukraine might be higher than 31, but it’s still a smaller number than many might have expected. Foreign [Music] Foreign [Music] Foreign