The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) unveiled the details of a new $2.6 billion military aid package for Ukraine at a press release on Tuesday, April 4th. The new assistance includes a wide variety of ammunition from Pentagon stockpiles meant to be shipped immediately to the battlefield.
The Presidential Drawdown from existing U.S. stocks—which is the 35th such package authorized by the U.S. from the DoD inventories since August 2021—is valued at $500 million, and consists mainly of artillery ammunition and air defense interceptors for the American-provided HIMARS and Patriot systems, as well as new anti-armor rocket systems, small arms, heavy equipment transport vehicles, and maintenance support.
The rest of the package, worth $2.1 billion, will consist of additional air defense equipment, as well as artillery and tank ammunition, mortar systems, rockets, and anti-armor weapons procured through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funds.
“Unlike the Presidential Drawdown,” the press release explains, “USAI is an authority under which the United States procures capabilities from industry rather than delivering equipment that is drawn down from DoD stocks,” adding that this package represents only the beginning of a larger contracting process to provide additional capabilities to the Ukrainian forces.
Undoubtedly, the ammunition for the state-of-the-art Patriot and HIMARS systems is currently the most sought out weaponry on the Ukrainian battlefield, but the rest of the impressive package is not negligible either. For example, the extensive list includes 19 counter-drone weapons systems (both gun trucks and laser-guided rocket systems), three air surveillance radars, 18 tactical vehicles, 69 fuel tankers, 400 grenade launchers, 3,600 small arms, as well as undisclosed amounts of ammunition for every weapon system currently in use in the field, including NASAMS missiles, GRAD rockets, and Javelins.
“The substantial resources the United States has committed to Ukraine reflects the American interests and values that are at stake,” a senior U.S. defense official said during Tuesday’s press conference. “Judging from the significant commitments that our allies and partners have made, the stakes for Europe and the larger world are widely recognized, as well.”
According to the Kiel Institute’s Ukraine Support Tracker, this new package puts the total U.S. assistance to Ukraine at over €73.7 billion (€45.6 billion of which is direct military support, while the rest is financial and humanitarian aid), making the United States the largest donor to the Ukrainian war effort by far. In comparison, the combined aid from all EU countries and EU institutions currently stands at €61.9 billion, while the rest of the world (including countries, such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, or Norway) contributed a total of €23.4 billion.
Although the voices calling for an end to America’s blank-check policy grow louder by the day, most Americans are content with the Biden administration’s continuous support for Ukraine, despite the large outlays. Most recent polls suggest that up to 33% of U.S. citizens think the government is overspending on Ukraine, while another 20 to 30% of those polled think it should increase the financial and military aid.
