[Goose]

I have doubts about the incoming administration's will to devote tens or hundreds of billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine.  I am more optimistic that the incoming administration will remove restrictions on use of American military equipment and munitions.  "Take the gloves off" seems to be the mantra.  On a related note, I've read that Russia has 50,000 troops amassed near Kursk.  I wonder whether Ukraine would be able to inflict significant damage on that troop concentration if the U.S. quietly removed that restriction now.

Not unless a very large number of cluster munitions were involved. The US and "the west" in general have not provided any cluster munitions with adequate range to reach the city of Kursk. Systems like Storm Shadow and ATACMS are "precision strike" weapons designed to destroy "high value" point targets. Their warheads are not suited to anti-personnel operation and there are far too few of them to compensate for the mismatch with sheer numbers. A real "air strike" could fatally degrade such a troop concentration because a very large number of munitions could be delivered almost simultaneously against an "area target". Ukraine can't do that. HIMARS firing cluster munitions was designed to do exactly this kind of mission, but not at long ranges. Artillery firing DPICM can do the same, but again, the range is too short.

"Taking the gloves off" would allow Ukraine to hit targets like ammunition dumps and other logistics concentrations where a single missile/a few missiles can do a lot of damage. It can really make things more difficult for Russia. Of course, after a month or so when Ukraine runs out of missiles, it becomes irrelevant.

[Goose]

I have doubts about the incoming administration's will to devote tens or hundreds of billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine.  I am more optimistic that the incoming administration will remove restrictions on use of American military equipment and munitions.  "Take the gloves off" seems to be the mantra.  On a related note, I've read that Russia has 50,000 troops amassed near Kursk.  I wonder whether Ukraine would be able to inflict significant damage on that troop concentration if the U.S. quietly removed that restriction now.

Not unless a very large number of cluster munitions were involved. The US and "the west" in general have not provided any cluster munitions with adequate range to reach the city of Kursk. Systems like Storm Shadow and ATACMS are "precision strike" weapons designed to destroy "high value" point targets. Their warheads are not suited to anti-personnel operation and there are far too few of them to compensate for the mismatch with sheer numbers. A real "air strike" could fatally degrade such a troop concentration because a very large number of munitions could be delivered almost simultaneously against an "area target". Ukraine can't do that. HIMARS firing cluster munitions was designed to do exactly this kind of mission, but not at long ranges. Artillery firing DPICM can do the same, but again, the range is too short.

"Taking the gloves off" would allow Ukraine to hit targets like ammunition dumps and other logistics concentrations where a single missile/a few missiles can do a lot of damage. It can really make things more difficult for Russia. Of course, after a month or so when Ukraine runs out of missiles, it becomes irrelevant.