The U.S. Department of Defense announced a $200 million worth of additional security assistance package for Ukraine. The latest package includes critical munitions for U.S.-provided Patriot air defense systems and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, among other items.
According to the Pentagon statement, the new defense package is being provisioned as part of the $6.2 billion in presidential drawdown authority restored in June following a reevaluation of the total value of items already committed to Ukraine.
The latest U.S. security assistance package includes munitions for Patriot air defense systems and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds, 120mm tank rounds, Javelin and other anti-armor systems and rockets, 37 tactical vehicles to tow and haul equipment, over 12 million rounds of small arms ammunition and grenades, as well as Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles, and other equipment.
The new round of defense package marks the 44th drawdown of military equipment from Department of Defense inventories for Ukraine since August 2021.
The Biden administration has committed more than $43 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The U.S. assistance to Ukraine has included more than 2,000 Stinger anti-aircraft systems, more than 10,000 Javelin anti-armor systems, and more than 2 million 155-mm artillery rounds, among other items, the Pentagon statement highlighted.
Today, we announced additional security assistance to help Ukraine to defend itself from Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression. We'll continue to work with our Allies & partners to support Ukraine's immediate battlefield needs & longer-term security assistance requirements.…
— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) August 14, 2023
Last week, U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, Douglas R. Bush said that the United States is “producing new artillery rounds at a rate of 24,000 per month and is on track to produce in excess of 80,000 rounds per month over the following year.”
“The U.S. Army is committed to and will succeed at maintaining our stocks sufficient for training and readiness of the U.S. Army, while also supporting our ally, Ukraine, with what they need, working as part of an international team to make sure that happens,” Bush added.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also said in a statement on August 14, “Russia started this war and could end it at any time by withdrawing its forces from Ukraine and stopping its brutal attacks… Until it does, the United States and our allies and partners will stand united with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
