After it has raised concerns by sending almost a third of its Javelin anti-tank missiles and Stingers to Ukraine, the Pentagon has shifted on Friday $1.45 billion to the Army and Marine Corps to replenish the supplies, the Defense Department’s top weapons buyer said.
The undersecretary of Defense for acquisition and sustainment, William LaPlante, noted that the funds come from the $3.5 billion granted by Congress meant to replenish US weapons stocks for Ukraine-related assistance in March as part of the $13.6 billion supplemental funding.
According to a document obtained from the Pentagon comptroller, the transfer includes $370 million for the Marine Corps to get Stingers and about $1.1 billion for the Army to purchase Javelin missiles ($809 million) and Stingers ($303 million) and other key components.
LaPlante said that the first tranche of funds, roughly $1.45 billion, was transferred to the Army and Marines earlier this week, following the required 30-day notification to Congress.
Pentagon’s decision comes in light of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in late April, during which the Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal informed that they’ve called for the Biden administration to invoke the Defense Production Act and to ensure the US military retains ample supplies.
Since Russia began its attack on Ukraine on Feb. 24, the US, along with billions of dollars worth of other weapons, has sent Kyiv more than 1,400 Stinger systems and 5,500 Javelins – a third of its stockpile of Javelins and a quarter of its Stingers.
Though the White House press secretary Jen Psaki was reassuring on Monday that Washington has transferred equipment from the US stocks to Ukraine without affecting the US military readiness, LaPlante acknowledged the Pentagon’s hurdles on Friday.
Raytheon Technologies, the Stinger missiles’ maker, has compounded the issue revealing last week that due to the lack of parts and materials, it won’t be able to ramp up Stingers’ production of until at least 2023, as it also must redesign some of the electronics in the missile and the seeker’s head.
Be the first to comment