Airmen from the 436th Aerial Port Squadron load cargo during a security assistance mission at Dover Air Force Base, Del., Jan. 13, 2023. The Pentagon on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023, announced a new military aid package for Ukraine. (Marco A. Gomez/U.S. Air Force)
WASHINGTON — The United States is sending Ukraine a new military aid package to help bolster the country’s air defenses and provide other needed items during the winter months, officials said Wednesday.
The new security package is worth $250 million and includes rockets for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, or NASAMS; and tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided missiles, the Pentagon said. Also included in the package are more stinger missiles, anti-armor systems, 15 million rounds of small-arms ammunition, various spare parts and medical equipment.
“This package includes additional air defense capabilities, artillery ammunition, anti-tank weapons and other equipment to help Ukraine counter Russia’s war of aggression,” the Defense Department said in a statement.
The equipment will be taken from military stocks and sent to Ukraine on an emergency basis, meaning the Pentagon ultimately will have to replace the hardware. The items should reach Ukraine within a few weeks.
The new aid package, which could be the last one of 2023, comes as Congress works toward passing full government funding for 2024 and debates President Joe Biden’s $100 billion supplemental funding request that would authorize more aid for Ukraine — as well as Israel, which has been engaged in a new conflict with militant group Hamas for almost 12 weeks. The Pentagon is quickly running out of aid money for Ukraine that was authorized for this year.
“Without congressional action, by the end of the year we will run out of resources to procure more weapons and equipment for Ukraine and to provide equipment from U.S. military stocks. There is no magical pot of funding available to meet this moment. We are out of money — and nearly out of time,” White House budget director Shalanda Young said earlier this month. “Already, our packages of security assistance have become smaller, and the deliveries of aid have become more limited. If our assistance stops, it will cause significant issues for Ukraine.”
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said last week that new funding for Ukraine probably won’t happen before the end of 2023.
“Negotiations aren’t easy. We know it’s going to take more time,” he said in his weekly news conference.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the United States has provided nearly $45 billion in military aid to Kyiv.
A U.S. Army soldier assigned to Task Force Voit, 3rd Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment, 18th Field Artillery Brigade, 18th Airborne Corps, guides an M142 High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launcher into place to demonstrate HIMARS capabilities to multinational troops from NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group Estonia at the Central Training Area near Camp Tapa, Estonia, Dec. 22, 2023. (H Howey/U.S. Army)
Items included in Wednesday’s military aid package:
Additional munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems.
Stinger anti-aircraft missiles.
Air defense system components.
Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS).
155mm and 105mm artillery rounds.
Tube-Launched, Optically Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles.
Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems.
More than 15 million rounds of small arms ammunition.
Demolitions munitions for obstacle clearing.
Spare parts, medical equipment, maintenance, and other ancillary equipment.
