The Department of Defense (DOD) has authorized a new $1.2 billion security assistance package under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) to bolster Ukraine's air defenses and sustain its artillery ammunition needs, DOD officials said in a recent press release.
"This package underscores the continued U.S. commitment to meeting Ukraine's most urgent requirements by committing critical capabilities — such as air defense systems and munitions — while also building the capacity of Ukraine's armed forces to defend its territory and deter Russian aggression over the long term," Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said during a news conference. "Today's announcement … represents, rather, the beginning of a contracting process to provide additional, priority capabilities to Ukraine, which will entail exploring options as to how to best support them.”
Focusing on both immediate and long-term capabilities critical to Ukraine's defense, the package includes the procurement of equipment needed to keep the country’s defense systems up to speed, including additional air defense systems, munitions, and missiles and radars. The package also provides ammunition for countering Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), additional 155mm artillery rounds to bolster Ukraine's artillery capabilities, commercial satellite imagery services, and provisions for training, maintenance, and sustainment activities.
USAI is an authority under which the United States procures capabilities from industry or partners. The announcement represents the beginning of a contracting process to provide additional priority capabilities to Ukraine, a DOD press release said. "The USAI gives us the ability to leverage the power and the capabilities of the private sector in order to support Ukraine's medium- and long-term security assistance needs," Ryder added.
Different from the Presidential Drawdown authority, which has previously facilitated the delivery of equipment from DoD stocks to Ukraine, the USAI paves the way for the U.S. to assemble capabilities from industry or partners, with the latest announcement marking the start of the contracting process designed to keep Ukraine’s defenses supplied.
"We will be able to maintain that support and that capability to train Ukrainians as long as the demand is there," Ryder added.
