The latest, $3bn U.S. military package finally gives Kyiv cash to buy direct

(Originally published Aug. 25 in “What in the World“) U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced $3 billion in new military aid for Ukraine, the largest tranche so far in the $40 billion aid package approved by Congress in May.

Undersecretary of Defense Colin H. Kahl hailed the package as proof that Russian President Vladimir Putin was wrong to assume he could out-wait Western patience for war and its painful costs in terms of inflation and economic growth. On the contrary, the West is willing to buy weapons and ship them to Ukraine for as long as it takes to achieve Russian surrender, escalation, or victory. “We are with Ukraine today and—alongside our allies and partners—we will stick with Ukraine over the long haul,” said Kahl.

In addition to being the largest infusion so far, the latest package marks an important distinction from previous aid. Past aid was used to purchase weapons from the U.S. military’s existing stockpiles, which had begun to spark worries about the Pentagon’s ability to replace them and maintain America’s own defensive preparedness. The new aid allows Ukraine to buy weapons directly from the U.S. defense industry, including:

• National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System, or NASAMS, air-defense missile systems, which are made by Raytheon RTX 0.82%↑ and Norway’s Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace. These are the same systems that guard the White House.
• 155-millimeter artillery ammunition, the leading maker of which is General Dynamics’ GD 0.38%↑ General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems
• 120-millimeter mortar ammunition, also made by General Dynamics’ General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems
• MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones, made by privately owned General Atomics Aeronautical Systems
• Switchblade drones, made by AeroVironment AVAV 1.58%↑
• anti-drone systems made by privately owned Fortem Technologies
• laser-guided, APKWS II rockets, made by Britain’s BAE Systems

Ukraine has been using “Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided” or TOW missiles, made by Raytheon as well as Javelin anti-tank missiles made jointly by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin LMT 0.66%↑. Of course, the weapon that Ukraine demanded for so long and that has reportedly helped turn the tide on the battlefield is Lockheed Martin’s M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems.

Meanwhile, America’s forgotten, 7-year war against Russian ally Syria continues to simmer. Earlier this week, U.S. aircraft conducted strikes in the eastern part of the country near the Euphrates River against Iranian-backed militias. The airstrike was in retaliation against a drone attack Aug. 15 on the U.S. Al-Tanf outpost in Syria’s southeastern desert along the Jordanian border.