U.S. boosts Ukraine’s defense needs with new arms package
Washington has provided an additional $500 million in weapons and equipment for Ukraine’s critical security and self-defense needs, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on X on Dec. 13.
“The United States and more than 50 nations stand united in support of Ukraine,” he wrote.
According to the State Department, a new Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) package will provide Ukraine with additional capabilities to meet its most urgent needs, including:
- Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (c-UAS) munitions
- Ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS)
- 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition
- High-speed Anti-radiation missiles (HARMs)
- Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)
- Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAPs)
- High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs)
- Light tactical vehicles
- Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) protective equipment
- Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems
- Tube-launched, Optically guided, Wire-tracked (TOW) missiles
- Small arms ammunition
- Demolitions equipment and munitions
- Spare parts, ancillary equipment, services, training, and transportation.
This is the Biden Administration's seventy-second tranche of equipment to be provided from DoD inventories for Ukraine since August 2021.
This follows an earlier announcement by Richard Verma, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, on Dec. 12 that the United States would provide $437.7 million in economic assistance to Ukraine.
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