Pentagon officials sent an open letter to Congress on Friday, warning that funds to support the war effort in Ukraine are running low. As the Legislature debates future foreign aid packages, the Pentagon reports that the $5.4 billion remaining in its Ukraine coffers may disappear in only a few months, leaving the US Military unable to replace the equipment stockpiles sent overseas.
According to the letter sent to House and Senate leadership by Pentagon Comptroller Michael McCord, the Department of Defense is “deeply concerned” by the lack of security assistance funding in the House’s latest spending measure. The stopgap bill passed on Saturday narrowly averted a government shutdown by providing funding for 45 days. A key provision for Republican support of the bill was the exclusion of a Ukraine aid package, but the Pentagon now urges Congress to reverse this decision in the next budget debate.
“Today, the DoD has exhausted nearly all available security assistance funding for Ukraine,” McCord wrote, reporting that the Ukraine Security Initiative, which provides money for future weapon shipments, is completely tapped out.
More concerningly, McCord stated that “funds provided to replenish our military’s inventories” are also running dangerously low. Approximately $1.6 billion remains of the $25.9 billion weapons fund originally provided by Congress, and about $5.4 billion is left to supply equipment from US stockpiles.
“We have already been forced to slow down the replenishment of our own forces to hedge against an uncertain funding future,” the letter said. “Failure to replenish our military services on a timely basis could harm our military’s readiness.”
If Congress does not approve another round of appropriations soon, McCord warns, the US will be forced to completely halt shipments of missiles, drones, ammunition, and demolition equipment that the Pentagon calls “critical and urgent now as Russia prepares to conduct a winter offensive.”
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The Pentagon expressed further concern that a delay in additional funding would signal wavering support for the Ukrainian cause, coming across as a “betrayal of our previous commitments” to the embattled nation and likely causing other allies to reduce their support as well. This concern appears warranted given a separate report from military officials in the United Kingdom claiming that the British government has “run out of arms to send to Ukraine.”
Following the stopgap measure on Saturday, President Joe Biden stated “We cannot under any circumstances allow America’s support for Ukraine to be interrupted.” Stressing the limited time left to authorize additional funding, he urged Congress to “stop playing games and get this done.’’
Since the initial Russian invasion in February 2022, the United States has sent Ukraine more than $44 billion in security assistance and military resources. President Biden is currently working to negotiate another $24 billion for humanitarian, economic, and military aid to neighboring countries affected by the conflict.
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