As part of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, the U.S. will deliver a new $1.2 billion package focused on air defenses and artillery to the European nation.
Announced by Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder during a news conference, the package “underscores the continued U.S. commitment to meeting Ukraine’s most urgent requirements,” the Department of Defense reported on Tuesday.
Ryder said that this package represents “the beginning of a contracting process to provide additional, priority capabilities to Ukraine,” and will explore options of how to best support Ukraine.
The funds will procure additional 155 millimeter artillery rounds while providing sustainment support to boost Ukraine’s ability to maintain its on-hand systems and equipment.
Also included in the package are supplementary air defense systems and munitions equipment to incorporate Western air-defense launchers, missiles and radars with Ukraine’s air-defense systems. Already, Ukrainian forces have shown success in defeating Russian missiles.
Ammunition designed to defeat unmanned aerial systems, commercial satellite imagery services and training, maintenance and sustainment assistance will also be supplied.
The USAI’s mission is to fortify Ukraine’s medium- and long-range defenses. This presidential drawdown authority enables the U.S. to send equipment from the DOD inventory to the nation and allows the Pentagon to receive contracted equipment later.
Along with delivering air defense and munitions capabilities, the package will better equip Ukraine’s military to defend its territory and impede Russian aggression long-term, said Ryder.
Though supplies are important, equipment alone does not fully meet the battlefield’s demands. Currently, several countries are helping train Ukrainian forces. One ongoing initiative is a U.S. training program being conducted at the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany.
“The United States will continue to work with our allies and our partners to provide Ukraine with capabilities to meet its immediate battlefield needs and longer-term security assistance requirements,” said Ryder.
“We will be able to maintain that support and that capability to train Ukrainians as long as the demand is there,” he said.
