The Biden administration announced Monday that it is sending $1 billion in new military assistance to Ukraine. This is the largest package of arms and equipment from its inventories since Russia’s invasion more than five months ago.
“This is the largest single drawdown of U.S. arms and equipment utilizing this authority to date,” Colin Kahl, the undersecretary of defense for policy, said. “The package provides a significant amount of additional ammunition, weapons and equipment — the types of which the Ukrainian people are using so effectively to defend their country.”
The Department of Defense (DoD) announces the authorization is the Biden administration’s eighteenth drawdown of equipment from DoD inventories for Ukraine since August 2021.
The assistance package includes additional ammunition for both the high mobility artillery rocket and howitzer systems.
The $1 billion security package include:
- Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS)
- 75,000 rounds of 155mm artillery ammunition
- 20 120mm mortar systems and 20,000 rounds of 120mm mortar ammunition
- Munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS)
- 1,000 Javelin and hundreds of AT4 anti-armor systems
- 50 armored medical treatment vehicles
- Claymore anti-personnel munitions
- C-4 explosives, demolition munitions, and demolition equipment
- Medical supplies, to include first aid kits, bandages, monitors, and other equipment.
“This package provides a significant amount of additional ammunition, weapons, and equipment that Ukrainians are using so effectively to defend themselves and will bring total U.S. security assistance to Ukraine to approximately $9.8 billion” since the beginning of Biden administration, said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Since 2014, the United States has committed more than $11.8 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, according to DoD.
Blinken said that the United States stands with Allies and partners from more than 50 countries in providing vital security assistance to support Ukraine’s defense of its sovereignty and territorial integrity against Russia’s aggression.
