White House announces $300mln stopgap military aid plan for Ukraine

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
12 Mar 2024 22:16

The package will include Stinger missiles, additional HIMARS and cluster munitions, among other weapons.

Pentagon spokesman Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder speaks during a briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

On Tuesday, the White House announced an emergency aid package for Ukraine totaling $300 million.

The package was passed without approval from Congress amid concerns about Russia's expansion in Ukraine. It was also approved despite the military facing a significant budget deficit estimated at $10 billion. The package sparked anger among Republicans who are requesting that funds be allocated to address the border crisis.

Defense Department spokesperson Patrick Ryder on Tuesday said that the package will include Stinger missiles, additional HIMARS and cluster munitions, among other weapons.

"This package is the 55th tranche of assistance and is valued at up to $300 million and includes capabilities to support Ukraine's immediate Air Defense Artillery and anti-tank requirements," Ryder said.

"The capabilities in this announcement include Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, additional ammunition for HIMARS, 155 millimeter artillery rounds, including high-explosive and dual-purpose improved cluster munition rounds."

Ryder added that the package will further include 105mm artillery rounds, extra rounds of small arms ammunition, demolitions munitions for obstacle clearing, and spare parts for maintenance.

On a related note, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters that there are no formal announcements to be made regarding reports suggesting that the US will also supply ATACMS to Ukraine as part of its aid package.

"I've got no announcements for you on ATACMS today," Sullivan said.

Pentagon to cut weapon programs to stay under budget for 2025

A report by Politico on February 22 revealed that the Pentagon is set to reduce $10 billion in weapon programs to adhere to the budget for fiscal year 2025.

The suggested reductions encompass scaling back purchases of F-35 fighter jets, an attack submarine, and the development of new army helicopters and drones.

The Pentagon intends to submit its budget to Congress in early March, and it is anticipated to be under $850 billion for fiscal year 2025, according to the report.

The report states that the expected budget proposal will involve the cancellation of the OH-58 Kiowa scout helicopter replacement, the termination of a service-life upgrade program for the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, a delay in the production of improved turbine engines for the AH-64 Apache and Black Hawk helicopters, and the retirement of the fleet of AAI RQ-7 Shadow and AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven drones.

Under the 2025 budget, the Navy is anticipated to only have the capacity to construct one new Virginia-class submarine, as opposed to the usual two in recent decades. It's worth noting that the construction cost of a single Virginia-class submarine exceeds $4 billion. Additionally, the report indicates that the US Air Force is expected to decrease its purchases of F-35 fighter jets by 18 percent this year.