The Pentagon will be providing Ukraine with an additional $3 billion in military assistance that will feature some new items, including unmanned systems.
As announced on August 24, the package will be provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) and will include Vampire counter-unmanned aerial systems (UAS), Puma and Scan Eagle UAS, as well as an additional six National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) and munitions for the systems.
Other equipment and items will include 245,000 rounds of 155mm artillery ammunition, up to 65,000 rounds of 120mm mortar ammunition, up to 24 counter-artillery radars and laser-guided rocket systems.
This announcement represents the beginning of a contracting process to provide additional priority capabilities to Ukraine in the mid- and long-term to ensure Ukraine can continue to defend itself as an independent, sovereign and prosperous state, the Pentagon said.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl said the capabilities in this package are tailored to sustain Ukraine’s most critical capability needs in the medium to long term.
“Deliveries of this package will begin in the next several months and continue over the coming years. While many of these capabilities are not intended to directly contribute to today’s fight they will form the backbone of a robust, future Ukrainian force capable of defending Ukraine for years to come,” Kahl said.
Kahl also explained that the novel Vampire C-UAS was a kinetic system using small missiles to shoot UAS out of the sky.
Unlike Presidential Drawdown (PDA), which DoD has continued to leverage to deliver equipment to Ukraine from DoD stocks at a historic pace, USAI is an authority under which the United States procures capabilities from industry.
The United States has committed more than $13.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since January 2021. In total, the United States has committed more than $15.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since 2014.
