Congress 'looting from its army' to support Ukraine: UnHerd
5 Min Read
According to Malcom Kyeyune, Congress is now moving money from "one pool to another," and the money being moved is not being replaced, creating what he calls a "systemic deception".
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Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on September 21, 2023. (AP)
According to Malcom Kyeyune from UnHerd, the Pentagon's recent announcement of planning an additional $300 million to Ukraine did not come from "change under a Pentagon sofa cushion" but rather from the collapse of the US military.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan reported that the funding would be possible due to “unanticipated cost savings," but UnHerd believes it is essential to examine factual information regarding US aid to Ukraine.
Firstly, Kyeyune stated that US aid has been primarily sourced from existing supplies due to inadequate capability to meet demand, and new manufacturing would take too long. As a result, the US robbed its warehouses of equipment and plundered ammo and weapons from its fighting units. It even deprived several of its allies, including South Korea, of significant amounts of materiel.
He notes how the cost of existing weapons is unknown since many shipped to Ukraine are no longer in production. While the US Army may have spent roughly $40,000 for a Stinger missile in the mid-1980s, estimating the cost now is hard since the cost of procuring 155mm artillery rounds for NATO members has multiplied since the start of the Ukraine war.
Read more: Pentagon to cut weapon programs to stay under budget for 2025: Reports
This allowed the US to deliver massive amounts of aid while only guessing their real costs. If, the author explains, costs are underestimated or if inflation and labor scarcity make it unprofitable for the defense sector to produce at that price, the final consequence is budgetary theft. Something has been taken away, and money has been assigned in principle to replace it, but owing to naivety, corruption, or malice, that money is insufficient to cover the cost of replacements.
Kyeyune notes that this previously occurred when Congress didn't want to fund the southern border wall during Donald Trump's presidency, and his administration briefly considered just pulling the money out of the US military budget.
In other news, the US Navy intends to support its ongoing operations in the Red Sea by diverting monies originally designated to critical modernization programs. Therefore, "the Navy’s budget is being cannibalized: critical future investments are being eaten up in order to sustain daily operations."
Moving money from one 'drained pool' to another
Kyeyune emphasizes that Congress is being "dysfunctional" and adds that the massive US debt of $34.5 trillion along with the persistent federal budget deficit of up to $1.6 trillion for 2024 will eventually affect the country's worldwide position and has already harmed Americans inside the country.
Congress is now moving money from "one pool to another," and the money being moved is not being replaced, he emphasizes.
"The “pool” that was drained in order to furnish money for something else remains empty, awaiting a refill that might never come."
He concludes that announcements of $300 million in "savings" from the Pentagon are only an "accounting trick", adding that the most worrying is not the lack of funds but rather the "charade" maintained in US politics and the "systemic deception" taking place.
He explains that the US is stealing bonus funds for its sailors and troops while also robbing money used to upkeep its ships and planes. All the while, loans continue to increase while the actual budget (adjusted for inflation) shrinks.
The "slash-and-burn" inside the US military branches is ongoing, while officials like Sullivan "work tirelessly to make sure their fragile elders don’t discover the truth."
Ukraine's military to collapse without US aid, officials tell WashPo
In a recent report by The Washington Post, unnamed senior US officials have voiced grave concerns over Ukraine's prospects in its ongoing war, painting a grim picture of all-out failure without additional military aid from the United States.
The report highlights statements from a senior US official who emphasized the urgent need for additional military aid to Kiev, stating, "This doesn't go well for Ukraine over time without a supplemental, and it could lead to potential collapse."
He also went on to acknowledge that while Ukraine may be able to hold out against Russia, the West, or the United States in particular, would be leveraging "countless lives" to get Ukraine to stay afloat.
Should American funding to Kiev be permanently cut off, US officials suggest that Ukraine's ability to mobilize new forces, the success of Western training initiatives, and military morale would become critical factors determining the outcome of the conflict.
However, progress on the US foreign aid bill, which includes over $60 billion for Ukraine, has been at the desk for weeks in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. Reports indicate that House Republicans are exploring an alternate foreign aid bill, potentially delaying crucial support for Ukraine.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul has even discussed the possibility of aiding Ukraine through loans in a bid to garner support for aiding Kiev.
