“The UAF’s initially positive overall performance is due in part to the experience and motivation of its personnel,” the CRS said. “High losses, however, pose an ongoing challenge to the UAF’s ability to maintain effective and sustained operations… Unlike the initial period of war when most recruits were veterans, most new recruits and volunteers have little military experience. As a result, it takes longer for the UAF to train new recruits.”

Ukraine is also facing massive pressures to train new recruits only to the “bare minimum levels,” the CRS warns, which could leave the preparations under par.

“That’s why we need to just continue to make sure that we’re providing the robust training—and obviously in other countries we need to provide neighboring NATO and allied countries [training]—because no doubt this war is posing some challenges to Ukraine on all fronts,” Carbajal told The Daily Beast.

As to whether the United States will reach a point where it’s not prudent to supply equipment to Ukraine if Ukrainian forces are so degraded they can’t man the gear, Carbajal said he’s eyeing the situation as a tricky balancing act.