DOD announces $175M Ukraine weapons package

The Defense Department today announced a $175 million weapons package for Ukraine as Congress argues over a major national security supplemental spending bill that would continue assistance to Kyiv and replenish U.S. weapons that have been sent there.

The new package, being funded via presidential “drawdown” authority, includes:

• AIM-9M and AIM-7 missiles for air defense;
• Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
• 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds;
• High-speed Anti-radiation missiles (HARMs);
• Tube-Launched, Optically Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles;
• Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems;
• More than 4 million rounds of small arms ammunition;
• Vehicles to tow and haul equipment;
• Demolitions munitions for obstacle clearing;
• Equipment to protect critical national infrastructure;
• Spare parts, maintenance and other ancillary equipment.

The announcement is the 52nd such transfer made to Ukraine using PDA since August 2021.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration is seeking tens of billions more for Ukraine and the White House has warned that money is running out. Pentagon officials say they have around $4 billion in transfer authority remaining but only $1 billion to replenish U.S. weapons being transferred.

In related news, senior U.S. and Ukrainian military officials convened with defense industry executives in Washington today to discuss a strategy to rebuild Ukraine’s domestic weapons production capabilities.