Pentagon needs Congress to hand over $10B to replace weapons sent to Ukraine
“It would come back on our own readiness on our own stockpile to a certain extent if we can’t get new funding,” a DOD official said.
Soldiers unload a HIMARS battery from a MC-130K aircraft during a military exercise.
Soldiers load a HIMARS from a U.S. Special Operations MC-130J aircraft during military exercises Sept. 26, 2022, at Spilve Airport in Riga, Latvia. | Roman Koksarov/AP
By LARA SELIGMAN
03/11/2024 02:01 PM EDT
The Pentagon has sent $10 billion worth of weapons to Ukraine that it still does not have the money to replace due to congressional gridlock, according to a top Defense Department official.
DOD officials expect funding to replenish the equipment the U.S. has already sent to Ukraine to be included in President Joe Biden’s supplemental request, which provides billions of additional dollars in aid for Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel. But that legislation has languished on Capitol Hill for months amid partisan bickering.
If DOD does not get the funding to backfill its stocks, the impact of that “ongoing hole” will ultimately be felt by the U.S. military’s own forces, said a senior DOD official, who was granted anonymity to speak ahead of an announcement.
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/11/pentagon-weapons-ukraine-congress-00146287
