With the Ukrainian counteroffensive on the southern front gaining traction, the U.S. has committed to sending more weapon systems to Ukraine.
The latest (and 19th in total) package of security assistance to Ukraine includes drones, ammunition for a crucial weapon system, several howitzers, and thousands of anti-tank weapons, among other weapon systems.
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PACIFIC OCEAN (July 19, 2016) USS Coronado (LCS 4), an Independence-variant littoral combat ship, launches the first over-the-horizon missile engagement using a Harpoon Block 1C missile. Twenty-six nations, 40 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 30 to Aug. 4, in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2016 is the 25th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Bryce Hadley/Released)
The Latest Package of Military Aid
The latest package of security assistance includes the following weapon systems and items:
Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
16 105mm Howitzers and 36,000 105mm artillery rounds;
15 Scan Eagle Unmanned Aerial Systems;
40 MaxxPro Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles with mine rollers;
Additional High-speed Anti-radiation missiles;
50 Armored High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV);
1,500 Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles;
U.S. Army Spc. Colton Davis, an infantryman assigned to Company C, 2nd Battalion, 198th Armor Regiment, 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team, Mississippi Army National Guard, fires a Javelin shoulder-fired anti-tank missile during a combined arms live fire exercise as part of Exercise Eastern Action 2019 at Al-Ghalail Range in Qatar, Nov. 14, 2018. The multiple exposure photo demonstrates the multiple stages the missile goes through after it is fired by Davis. This is a multiple-exposure photo. (U.S. Army National Guard photo illustration by Spc. Jovi Prevot)
1,000 Javelin anti-armor systems;
2,000 anti-armor rounds;
Mine clearing equipment and systems;
Demolition munitions;
Tactical secure communications systems;
Night vision devices, thermal imagery systems, optics, and laser rangefinders.
In the last two years, the U.S. has sent or has committed to sending Ukraine approximately $10.6 billion in military aid (in addition to billions of dollars in economic and humanitarian aid), with about $9.9 billion of that amount sent to Kyiv since February when the Russian invasion began. Indeed, during the summer, Washington has committed almost $5 billion of security aid to Ukraine. Since 2014, when the Russian invasion of Ukraine first started with the annexation of Crimea and the incursion in the Donbas, the U.S. has committed more than $12.6 in military aid to Ukraine.
Weapons and More Weapons
Over the six months of the Russian invasion, the U.S. military has provided or committed to providing Kyiv with the following weapon systems, munitions, military supplies, and non-lethal equipment:
Over 1,400 FIM-92 Stinger anti-aircraft systems;
Over 8,500 FGM-118 Javelin anti-armor systems;
1,500 Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles;
AGM-88 High-speed Anti-radiation missiles (HARM);
Over 20,000 other anti-armor systems;
Javelin anti-tank weapon. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Over 700 Switchblade Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems;
126 155mm Howitzers and up to 561,000 155mm artillery rounds;
15 Scan Eagle Unmanned Aerial Systems;
16 105mm Howitzers
108,000 105mm artillery rounds;
126 Tactical Vehicles to tow 155mm Howitzers;
22 Tactical Vehicles to recover equipment;
50 armored medical treatment vehicles;
16 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and ammunition;
Four Command Post vehicles;
Two National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS);
20 Mi-17 helicopters;
Counter-battery systems;
Hundreds of Armored High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV);
40 MaxxPro Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles with mine rollers;
200 M113 Armored Personnel Carriers;
M113. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Over 10,000 grenade launchers and small arms;
Over 59,000,000 rounds of small arms ammunition;
75,000 sets of body armor and helmets;
Approximately 700 Phoenix Ghost Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems;
20 120mm mortar systems and 20,000 rounds of 120mm mortar ammunition;
Laser-guided rocket systems;
Puma Unmanned Aerial Systems;
Unmanned Coastal Defense Vessels;
26 counter-artillery radars;
Four counter-mortar radars;
Four air surveillance radars;
Two harpoon coastal defense systems;
18 coastal and riverine patrol boats;
M18A1 Claymore anti-personnel munitions;
C-4 explosives, demolition munitions, and demolition equipment for obstacle clearing;
Tactical secure communications systems;
Thousands of night vision devices, thermal imagery systems, optics, and laser rangefinders;
Commercial satellite imagery services;
Explosive ordnance disposal protective gear;
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear protective equipment;
Medical supplies to include first aid kits;
Electronic jamming equipment;
Field equipment and spare parts;
Funding for training, maintenance, and sustainment.
Expert Biography: 1945’s New Defense and National Security Columnist, Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate. His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
