Pentagon scrapes together $300 million aid package as Ukraine about to run out of ammunition

[mystery-ak]

Pentagon scrapes together $300 million aid package as Ukraine about to run out of ammunition
By
Jamie McIntyre
March 13, 2024 7:22 am

A LITTLE MORE AMMUNITION: Even as the Pentagon is $10 billion in the hole for ammunition already sent to Ukraine, through a little budget wizardry it’s come up with some $300 million in paper savings from future ammunition purchases to justify sending another tranche of U.S. HIMARS missiles and artillery rounds to Ukrainian troops, who are on the verge of running out.

“When Russian troops advance and its guns fire, Ukraine does not have enough ammunition to fire back. That’s costing terrain. It’s costing lives. And it’s costing us, the United States and the NATO alliance, strategically,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters in announcing the latest package drawn from the U.S. inventory. “This ammunition will keep Ukraine’s guns firing for a period, but only a short period. It is nowhere near enough to meet Ukraine’s battlefield needs, and it will not prevent Ukraine from running out of ammunition in the weeks to come.”

The money is coming from “contract award savings” being returned to the Pentagon’s ammunition replenishment fund as the result of “good negotiations.”

“In one instance, with 25 mm ammunition, we were buying 120,000-plus rounds,” a senior defense official said. “We estimated initially a unit cost of $130 each, but we ended up getting a better price of $93.”

more
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/daily-on-defense/2918027/pentagon-scrapes-together-300-million-aid-package-as-ukraine-about-to-run-out-of-ammunition/

[mystery-ak]

US Announces $300 Million Package for Ukraine. Here's How the Biden Administration Got the Money.
Leah Barkoukis


With a new foreign aid package tied up on the Hill, the Biden administration on Tuesday announced “urgent” military assistance for Ukraine.

The announcement of the equipment, worth about $300 million, will support Ukraine’s artillery, air defense, and anti-tank requirements, the Pentagon said.

“With a lack of replacement funds available to replenish DoD inventories, the Administration had been forced to pause PDA packages since December 2023,” the Defense Department said in a statement. “DoD is able to support this extraordinary package after identifying contract savings from previously appropriated supplemental funding that can be applied to replace DoD stocks. Today's announcement provides a short-term stop gap, but it is nowhere near enough to meet Ukraine's battlefield needs. Without supplemental funding, DoD will remain hard-pressed to meet Ukraine's capability requirements at a time when Russia is pressing its attacks against Ukrainian forces and cities.”

    The capabilities in this announcement include:

        Stinger anti-aircraft missiles;
        Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
        155mm artillery rounds, including High Explosive and Dual Purpose Improved Cluster Munitions rounds;
        105mm artillery rounds;
        AT-4 anti-armor systems;
        Additional rounds of small arms ammunition;
        Demolitions munitions for obstacle clearing; and
        Spare parts, maintenance, and other ancillary equipment.

more
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbarkoukis/2024/03/13/us-announces-300-million-for-ukraine-heres-how-the-biden-administration-got-the-money-n2636437