On Feb. 3, 2023, the Pentagon announced another significant military package for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The latest tranche of defense support will come from the approval of a U.S. Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) of nearly 425M dollars and 1.75 Bn dollars in Defense Department-led USAI funds. However, any new weapon possibly wouldn’t arrive until later this year.
According to the US DoD’s press release, the PDA is the 31st such drawdown of arms and military equipment for Kyiv defenders that Biden’s White House has approved since August last year. This Friday’s declaration contains sophisticated air-defense weapons to assist war-torn Ukraine in defending its land and people.
In addition, the Pentagon press statement reads that the Presidential Drawdown contains armored fighting vehicles (AFVs) and other ordnance Zelenskyy troops are employing effectively and successfully, including artillery shells, Javelin Anti-Tank Weapon Systems, and long-range rockets for America-sent HIMARS multiple rocket launchers.
Brig. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder, US Defense Department Press Secretary, said at the press conference at the Pentagon that as a part of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, Washington would be sending Boeing and the Saab Group-made Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) to Kyiv troops.
What Includes in America’s $2.2 Bn military package for Ukraine?
The latest US Military Package of around 2.2 Bn dollars includes the following capabilities under PDA:
- More munition for M-142 HIMARS;
- More 155-millimeter artillery shells;
- More 120-millimeter mortar shells;
- 181 MRAP Vehicles;
- 190 Heavy Machine Guns to Counter UAVs;
- 250 Javelin anti-tank missile systems;
- Two Thousand Anti-tank rockets;
- Mines clearing munitions;
- Personnel Gear and other battlefield equipment
Moreover, under Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, the Pentagon will deliver the following defense capabilities:
- Two HAWK medium-range surface-to-air missile systems;
- Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS);
- Military Generators;
- AeroVironment Puma unmanned aircraft system;
- Counter-battery radars;
- Four Air Surveillance radars;
- Medical Supplies;
- Funding for Maintenance and training;
- Anti-aircraft guns and munition
Source: Web
Unlike PDA, the U.S. DoD-led USAI is the authority under which America procures defense capabilities from industry rather than sending military equipment that is drawn from the Pentagon inventories. The latest declaration represents the starting of a contracting process to send additional capabilities to Kyiv personnel as part of America’s efforts to improve the capability of the Ukrainian military over the long term.
Overall, America has sent nearly thirty billion dollars in military assistance to Zelenskyy since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021. According to American officials, since 2014, America has sent over 32 Bn dollars in military support to Kyiv and around 29.3 Bn dollars since Moscow’s unjustifiable incursion started late in February last year.
