The US Department of Defense will need around $10 billion to replace weapons and equipment sent to Ukraine, several high-ranking officials have stated.
The deficit stems from how the Pentagon accounted for all the aid delivered to Kyiv, as it admitted to counting the actual value of the assets sent rather than the potential cost of replacing them.
In context, older munitions that are no longer being produced will need to be replaced with a modern version, which is certainly more expensive.
Now, the Pentagon is reportedly relying on President Joe Biden’s supplemental request to Congress to get the funding it needs.
However, ongoing debate over foreign spending and improving US border security have halted the passing of the supplemental aid bill.
“We don’t foresee a likely alternative outside of the supplemental funding or having that money added into an appropriations bill in order to achieve the replenishment that we need,” Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks was quoted as saying.
The US has committed more than $44.2 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion.
Risking Military Readiness
Pentagon officials said the $10 billion shortfall does not include the costs incurred by sending more troops to Europe to train Ukrainians and increasing its military activities in the Middle East.
Washington also announced a surprise $300-million weapons package for Ukraine this week, but the problem remains that more aid would also require more funds to replenish stockpiles.
A defense official told VOA News that the problem would have a negative effect on military readiness if left unaddressed.
But for defense analyst and retired rear admiral Mark Montgomery, there could have been a way for the US DoD to avoid this huge shortfall.
He said Washington could have sent assets that would not compromise military readiness, such as 155-millimeter cluster munitions and M113 armored vehicles because the army “no longer needs them.”
“We have thousands of them that we’re getting rid of. We could transfer these to Ukraine,” he told VOA News.