The Biden Administration has announced additional security assistance for Ukraine, as part of its ongoing efforts to support Ukraine's defense and security needs. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J Austin III made the announcement at the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, stating, "Today at the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, we announced additional security assistance to meet Ukraine’s critical security and defense needs" (Austin, quoted in the article).
The Department of Defense (DoD) has expanded its support to Ukraine by providing another tranche of equipment from DoD inventories. This marks the forty-eighth tranche since August 2021 and is valued at up to $200 million. The assets include AIM-9M missiles for air defense, Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (c-UAS) equipment to deter and neutralize drone threats, ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), artillery rounds, precision aerial munitions, electronic warfare equipment, and more (factoid 2).
The equipment also includes Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles, AT-4 anti-armor systems, small arms, and over 16 million rounds of small arms ammunition. Demolitions munitions for obstacle clearing are also being provided, along with spare parts, training munitions, maintenance, and other essential field equipment (factoid 3).
Secretary Austin emphasized the importance of security assistance for Ukraine, stating, "Security assistance for Ukraine is a smart investment in our national security. It helps to prevent a larger conflict in the region and deter potential aggression elsewhere, while strengthening our defense industrial base and creating highly skilled jobs for the American people" (factoid 4).
The United States government has demonstrated its commitment to Ukraine by allocating over $44.5 billion in security assistance since the onset of the Biden Administration. Of this amount, $43.9 billion has been provided since the beginning of Russia's invasion on February 24, 2022 (factoid 5).
The Biden Administration is urging Congress to approve additional funds to ensure Ukraine remains well-equipped to defend its sovereignty against Russia's ongoing aggression (factoid 6).
