On Thursday, the Department of Defense announced the latest round of financial and military assistance for Ukraine. The latest package, worth $600 million, is the 21st drawdown of equipment from Department of Defense inventories for Ukraine since August of last year.
This latest round of aid, unlike recent packages, does not allocate military equipment currently in development or from the private sector. Instead, it draws from the United States military’s existing stocks.
In a statement, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the United States is “delivering the arms and equipment that Ukraine’s forces are utilizing so effectively” with the help of allies and partners. Blinken also referenced the ongoing counter-offensive.
What’s In the Package?
The latest round of aid for Ukraine includes a range of advanced weaponry that could help Ukraine continue its successful counter-offensive operation while Russian forces attempt to regroup in the Donbas region.
In the latest package, Ukraine should expect a range of weaponry, equipment, and gear to help Ukrainian soldiers continue fighting as we approach the winter.
– More High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS)
– Night vision devices
– Cold weather gear
– Small arms and ammunition
– Demolition of munitions and equipment
– Claymore anti-personnel munitions
– Mine clearing equipment
– Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems
– Four truckers and eight trailers designed to transport heavy equipment
– Four counter-artillery radars
– 1,000 precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds
– 36,000 105mm artillery rounds
The Department of Defense said that the latest package brings the total aid provided by the United States to $15.8 billion since President Joe Biden took office and the total since 2014 to $17.9 billion.
The statement also reaffirmed the White House’s commitment to continue assisting Ukraine in the long term, promising to work with allies and partners to “provide Ukraine with key capabilities.”
The package comes only a week after the Pentagon announced another $675 million package, which included additional ammunition for the HIMARS systems that made Ukraine’s successful counter-offensive possible. Thousands more rounds of artillery ammunition were also committed.
Marines with Romeo Battery, 5th Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 7, fire rockets from a M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) on Camp Leatherneck, Helmand province, Afghanistan, June 1, 2013. Marines with 5/11 are deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Anthony L. Ortiz / Released)
With the announcement, the White House revealed that no long-range weapons systems are on their way to Ukraine, despite the rumors that the Biden administration was considering sending long-range ATACMS ammunition that could be used with the 16 HIMARS rocket launchers already in Ukraine. The long-range missiles have been requested by Kyiv on multiple occasions since the outbreak of the war.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
