The Biden administration recently announced a significant new lethal aid package for Ukraine, totaling approximately $1.7 billion. This aid package primarily consists of missiles and ammunition for missile, artillery, and air defense systems that the US has previously supplied to Ukraine.
As part of this aid package, the US is committing $1.5 billion in new weapons and equipment through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). This includes capabilities to enhance Ukraine's air defenses, fires, and anti-tank weapons, as well as funding to maintain equipment previously provided by the United States.
In addition to the USAI commitment, the Defense Department will be sending up to $200 million worth of weapons and equipment directly from US Department of Defense stockpiles using Presidential Drawdown Authority. This includes air defense interceptors, munitions for rocket systems and artillery, and anti-tank weapons.
This aid package marks the 20th USAI package and the sixty-second tranche of equipment to be supplied from DoD inventories to Ukraine since August 2021. The USAI package features missiles for Ukraine's National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) and ammunition for Ukraine's High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), a platform that Ukraine has been utilizing effectively in Russian territory. Additionally, the package includes artillery ammunition, which has been a top request from Ukraine.
