1 month ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon could get weapons moving to Ukraine wrong days if Congress passes a long-delayed assistance bill. That's because it has a web of retention sites successful nan U.S. and Europe that already clasp nan ammunition and aerial defense components that Kyiv desperately needs.
Moving accelerated is critical, CIA Director Bill Burns said Thursday, informing that without further assistance from nan U.S., Ukraine could suffer nan warfare to Russia by nan extremity of this year.
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Pentagon property caput Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said, "We would for illustration very overmuch to beryllium capable to unreserved nan information assistance successful nan volumes we deliberation they request to beryllium capable to beryllium successful."
If astir $61 cardinal successful backing for nan war-torn state gets nan greenish light, "we person a very robust logistics web that enables america to move worldly very quickly," Ryder told reporters Thursday. "We tin move wrong days."
The Pentagon has had supplies fresh to spell for months but hasn’t moved them because it is retired of money. It has already spent each of nan backing Congress had antecedently provided to support Ukraine, sending much than $44 cardinal worthy of weapons, maintenance, training and spare parts since Russia’s February 2022 invasion.
A alloy worker moves a 155 mm M795 artillery projectile during nan manufacturing process astatine nan Scranton Army Ammunition Plant successful Scranton, Pa., Thursday, April 13, 2023. The Pentagon could get weapons moving to Ukraine wrong days if Congress passes a long-delayed assistance bill. That's because it has a web of retention sites successful nan U.S. and Europe that already clasp nan ammunition and aerial defense components that Kyiv desperately needs. Moving accelerated is critical, CIA Director Bill Burns said Thursday, April 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
By December, nan Pentagon was $10 cardinal successful nan hole, because it is going to costs much now to switch nan systems it sent to nan battlefield successful Ukraine.
As a result, nan Pentagon’s predominant assistance packages for Ukraine dried up because there’s been nary guarantee Congress would walk nan further backing needed to replenish nan weapons nan U.S. has been sending to Ukraine. The authorities would see much than $20 cardinal to restock nan Pentagon's shelves and guarantee that nan subject services person what they request to conflict and protect America.
The lag successful weapons deliveries has forced Ukrainian troops to walk months rationing their dwindling proviso of munitions.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is pushing nan Ukraine backing measure toward a play ballot contempt threats from wrong his statement that doing truthful could costs him his job. If Congress passes nan bill, President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has said he will motion it "immediately," which past triggers nan Pentagon to statesman pulling stockpiled weapons to present to Ukraine.
A look astatine really nan U.S. tin quickly move weapons to Ukraine:
PRESIDENTIAL DRAWDOWN AUTHORITY
When an assistance package for Ukraine is announced, nan weapons are either provided done statesmanlike drawdown authority, which allows nan subject to instantly propulsion from its stockpiles, aliases done information assistance, which costs longer-term contracts pinch nan defense manufacture to get nan systems.
The statesmanlike drawdown authority, aliases PDA, arsenic it’s known, has allowed nan subject to nonstop billions of dollars worthy of ammunition, aerial defense rocket launchers, tanks, vehicles and different instrumentality to Ukraine.
"In nan past, we’ve seen weapons transferred via statesmanlike drawdown authority get wrong a matter of days," said Brad Bowman, head astatine nan Foundation for nan Defense of Democracies halfway connected subject and governmental power.
Those stocks are pulled from bases aliases retention accommodation successful nan U.S. aliases from European sites wherever nan U.S. has already surged weapons to trim down connected nan magnitude of clip it will return to present them erstwhile nan backing is approved.
DWINDLING U.S. STOCKS
As nan warfare successful Ukraine has dragged on, nan U.S. began to nonstop progressively larger, much lethal and much costly systems to nan warfront. They included full aerial defense systems, armored vehicles, blase missiles — moreover Abrams tanks.
Those systems costs much to replace, truthful nan subject — successful particular, nan Army — went deeper into debt. Compounding that, nan subject successful immoderate cases opted to switch older systems sent to Ukraine pinch pricier, higher-tech ones astatine home.
As a result, Army leaders precocious told Congress that without transition of nan overseas assistance bill, they will statesman to tally retired of money and person to move costs from different accounts.
Army Secretary Christine Wormuth and Gen. Randy George, main of unit of nan Army, said nan branch wouldn’t person capable money to bring location troops serving successful Europe aliases to train units successful nan U.S.
U.S. WEAPONS STORAGE
The subject has monolithic weapons retention accommodation successful nan U.S. for millions of rounds of munitions of each sizes that would beryllium fresh to usage successful lawsuit of war.
For example, nan McAlester Army Ammunition Plant successful Oklahoma sprawls crossed 45,000 acres (70 quadrate miles) connected by obstruction and has a ngo to surge arsenic galore arsenic 435 shipping containers — each capable to transportation 15 tons (30,000 pounds) worthy of munitions — if ordered by nan president.
The installation is besides a awesome retention tract for 1 of nan astir utilized munitions connected Ukraine’s battlefield, 155 mm howitzer rounds.
The request by Ukraine for that peculiar ammunition has put unit connected U.S. stockpiles and pushed nan subject to spot wherever other it could get them. As a result, tens of thousands of 155 mm rounds person been shipped backmost from South Korea to McAlester to beryllium retrofitted for Ukraine.
STORING WEAPONS IN EUROPE
According to a U.S. subject official, nan U.S. would beryllium capable to nonstop definite munitions "almost immediately" to Ukraine because storehouses beryllium successful Europe.
Among nan weapons that could spell very quickly are nan 155 mm rounds and different artillery, on pinch immoderate aerial defense munitions. The charismatic said connected nan information of anonymity to talk preparations not yet made public.
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A big of sites crossed Germany, Poland and different European friends besides are helping Ukraine support and train connected systems sent to nan front. For example, Germany group up a attraction hub for Kyiv’s Leopard 2 vessel fleet successful Poland, adjacent nan Ukrainian border.
The adjacent attraction hubs hasten nan turnaround clip to get needed repairs done connected nan Western systems.
