Who is the current U.S. Secretary of Defense responsible for overseeing the high-level review process, established by Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, that requires Defense Secretary approval for each Ukrainian request to use U.S.-supplied ATACMS long-range missiles against targets inside Russia?

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Who is the current U.S. Secretary of Defense responsible for overseeing the high-level review process, established by Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, that requires Defense Secretary approval for each Ukrainian request to use U.S.-supplied ATACMS long-range missiles against targets inside Russia?

Accepted Answer

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, confirmed by a 50-50 Senate vote broken by Vice President J.D. Vance on January 25, 2025, oversees the review mechanism created by Undersecretary Elbridge Colby that mandates his personal sign-off on all Ukrainian requests to employ U.S.-made ATACMS long-range missile systems against Russian targets. Since late spring 2025, Hegseth’s case-by-case approval has effectively blocked multiple strike requests, restricting Ukraine’s ability to target Russian staging areas and supply lines as part of a broader push for peace talks (, ).

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