Source: AntiWar.com
The Department of Defense announced on Friday it will purchase $2.1 billion in weapons for Ukraine, including munitions for Patriot and Hawk air defense systems.
The weapons to be purchased include:
- Additional munitions for Patriot air defense systems;
- HAWK air defense systems and missiles;
- 105mm and 203mm artillery rounds;
- Puma Unmanned Aerial Systems;
- Laser-guided rocket system munitions;
- Support for training, maintenance, and sustainment activities.
The weapons are being purchased for Kiev under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). The Joe Biden administration has primarily relied on the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) to ship arms directly from US stockpiles to Ukraine. Weapons provided under the USAI could take months or years to deliver as they involve contracts and might need to be manufactured.
“This announcement represents the beginning of a contracting process to provide additional priority capabilities to Ukraine,” the Pentagon press release said. “This USAI package illustrates the continued commitment to both Ukraine’s critical near-term capabilities as well as the enduring capacity of Ukraine’s Armed Forces to defend its territory and deter Russian aggression over the long term.”
A Pentagon fact sheet claims the US has now committed to Ukraine $39.7 billion in security assistance alone. However, a February report published by the Kiel Institute said American military aid had already topped $45 billion….