Pentagon accounting error has sent an extra $6.2 BILLION to Ukraine in the last two years
The Pentagon announced Tuesday that an accounting error meant it had overestimated the cost of arms and ammunition sent to Ukraine over the past two years, leaving a $6.2 billion surplus that could be used for future aid.
Spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said an assessment of the accounting error showed that the army used replacement costs rather than the book value of equipment taken from Defense Ministry stocks and sent to Ukraine.
She said final calculations show there was an error of $3.6 billion in the current fiscal year and $2.6 billion in fiscal year 2022, which ended Sept. 30.
As a result, the department now has extra money in the treasury to support Ukraine in continuing its counter-offensive against Russia.
And it came as the fiscal year came to a close and congressional funding started to dwindle.
Ukrainian soldiers fire an M777 howitzer at Russian positions near Bakhmut, eastern Ukraine during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The M777s were supplied by the US
Ukrainian servicemen prepare to fire on Russian positions with a 155mm M777 Howitzer artillery weapon in the frontline somewhere near the town of Bakhmut on March 11, 2023 amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine
“It just goes back into the pot of money we’ve allocated” for the future stock draws, Singh said.
The revelation comes as Ukraine continues the early stages of its counter-offensive in an attempt to dislodge Kremlin forces from territory they have occupied since a full-scale invasion in February 2022.
According to Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, the counter-offensive encountered heavy minefields and fortified defenses.
Meanwhile, Russia is bombing the Kiev region with dozens of Shahed exploding drones, in an attack that has exposed gaps in the country’s air defenses after nearly 16 months of war. Officials said Ukrainian air defenses downed 32 of the 35 drones launched by Russia on Tuesday.
The Pentagon has repeatedly used the presidential withdrawal power to pull weapons, ammunition and other equipment from shelves so that it can reach Ukraine much more quickly than through a procurement process.
Based on previous estimates announced on June 13, the US had pledged more than $40 billion in security aid to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion. According to the new calculation, the US has actually provided less than $34 billion in aid.
Officials have not been able to give exact totals for the amount of money left over from the shootings or for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which provides longer-term funding for the purchase of weapons, including some of the larger air defense systems.
The US has approved four rounds of aid to Ukraine in response to the Russian invasion, totaling about $113 billion, with part of that money earmarked to replenish US military equipment sent to the front lines. Congress approved the latest round of aid in December, totaling about $45 billion for Ukraine and NATO allies. While the package was designed to last through the end of the fiscal year in September, much depends on events on the ground, especially as the new counteroffensive gains momentum.
Spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said an assessment of the accounting error showed that the army used replacement costs rather than the book value of equipment taken from Defense Ministry stocks and sent to Ukraine.
President Joe Biden and his senior national security chiefs have repeatedly stated that the United States will assist Ukraine “as long as it takes” to fend off Russian forces. Privately, government officials have warned Ukrainian officials that there is a limit to the patience of a narrowly divided Congress — and American public — for the cost of a war with no clear end.
Members of Congress have repeatedly urged Defense Department leaders how closely the US monitors its aid to Ukraine to ensure it does not fall victim to fraud or fall into the wrong hands. The Pentagon has said it has a “robust program” to track the aid as it crosses the border into Ukraine and monitor it once it gets there, depending on the sensitivity of each weapon system.
Singh said the accounting error does not affect the ongoing delivery of aid to Ukraine.
The flaw was first revealed last month. Although it was initially calculated at $3 billion, it sparked Republican anger.
“This money could have been used for additional supplies and weapons for the upcoming counteroffensive, rather than rationing money for the rest of the fiscal year,” said House Foreign Affairs chairman Michael McCaul and House Armed chairman Mike Rogers. Services.
They called on the Biden administration to make up for lost time in supplying weapons to Ukraine.