THREATS
The Army Brief: More Ukraine aid; Bigger budget; Intercepting missiles; and more.
CAITLIN M. KENNEY | JUNE 17, 2022
THE ARMY BRIEF ARMY UKRAINE CONGRESS DEFENSE BUDGET MISSILES
Welcome to The Army Brief, a weekly look at the news and ideas shaping the service’s future.
More weapons. The U.S. is sending Ukraine more arms, including more 155mm howitzers and ammunition, Defense One reports. The new $1 billion security package also allows the U.S. to buy secure radios and other equipment directly from companies to send to Ukraine instead of pulling them from the Pentagon’s inventory.
Larger defense budget. The Senate Armed Services Committee added $45 billion to its version of the 2023 national defense budget, raising the total to $817 billion for the Pentagon, Defense One reports. Half of the increase will offset inflation, while the rest will go toward some of the unfunded priorities requests, restocking munitions that were sent to Ukraine, and fully funding the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.
Two is better than one. Working together, an Army PAC-2 Patriot interceptor battery and an Air Force F-35A Lightning II fighter took out a drone that simulated a cruise missile during an exercise on the Pacific island nation of Palau, Stars and Stripes reports. The air-defense system was able to use radar data from the aircraft to find and hit the target.
https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2022/06/the-army-brief-june-17-2022/368319/
