The US is seeking to increase Ukrainian air defense capabilities through a new military assistance package, which includes more missiles for Patriot systems and HAWK missile batteries.
The US Department of Defense (DoD) announced that it is sending Ukraine a new military assistance package. This one package, worth a total of $2.1 billion, includes critical air defense capabilities and munitions. This and many previous transfers of military assistance fall under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI).
Unlike the Presidential Drawdown Authority (which allows for the rapid delivery of Defense items and services from DoD stockpiles to foreign countries and international organizations to respond to unforeseen emergencies. Such assistance can begin arriving within days – or even hours – of approval), which DOD has continued to leverage to deliver equipment to Ukraine from DOD stockpiles at a historic pace, USAI is an authority under which the United States acquires capabilities from industry or partners. This announcement represents the beginning of a procurement process to provide additional priority capabilities to Ukraine.
This military assistance package includes the following items and capabilities:
- Additional ammunition for Patriot air defense systems;
- HAWK air defense systems and missiles;
- 105 mm and 203 mm artillery ammunition;
- Puma unmanned aerial systems;
- Laser-guided rocket system munitions;
- Support for training, maintenance and sustainment activities.
See also: Israel refuses to deliver its Hawk air defense missiles to Ukraine
Given that the armament delivered to Ukraine within the USAI does not come from the US Armed Forces’ own stockpiles, it would be all new material from the factory (such as Patriot missiles or Puma drones) or material acquired from other sources, as could be the HAWK batteries and missiles that Spain had made available in October 2022.
