Pentagon announces additional $500 million military aid package for Ukraine

The US Department of Defense (DoD) has announced a new military assistance package for Ukraine.

This includes the authorization of a Presidential Drawdown of security assistance with more ammunition for U.S.-provided HIMARS, air defence interceptors, and artillery rounds that Ukraine is using to defend itself, as well as anti-armour systems, small arms, heavy equipment transport vehicles, and maintenance support essential to strengthening Ukraine's defenders on the battlefield valued at up to $500 million, the official website of the DoD reported on April 4.

In addition, we are announcing a significant package of air defence capabilities, as well as artillery and tank ammunition, mortar systems, rockets, and anti-armour systems using $2.1 billion in Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funds.

The Presidential Drawdown is the thirty-fifth such drawdown of equipment from DoD inventories for Ukraine that the Biden Administration has authorized since August 2021. 

The capabilities in this package include:

• Additional munitions for Patriot air defence systems;
• Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
• 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds;
• 120mm mortar rounds;
• 120mm and 105mm tank ammunition; 
• 25mm ammunition;
• Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles;
• Approximately 400 grenade launchers and 200,000 rounds of ammunition;
• 11 tactical vehicles to recover equipment;
• 61 heavy fuel tankers;
• 10 trucks and 10 trailers to transport heavy equipment;
• Testing and diagnostic equipment to support vehicle maintenance and repair;
• Spare parts and other field equipment.

Under USAI, the DoD will provide Ukraine with:

• Additional munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS);
• Nine counter-Unmanned Aerial System 30mm gun trucks;
• 10 mobile c-UAS laser-guided rocket systems;
• Three air surveillance radars;
• 30mm and 23mm anti-aircraft ammunition;
• 130mm and 122mm artillery rounds;
• 122mm GRAD rockets;
• Rocket launchers and ammunition;
• 120mm and 81mm mortar systems;
• 120mm, 81mm, and 60mm mortar rounds;
• 120mm tank ammunition;
• Javelin anti-armour systems;
• Anti-armour rockets;
• Precision aerial munitions;
• Approximately 3,600 small arms and more than 23,000,000 rounds of small arms ammunition;
• Seven tactical vehicles to recover equipment;
• Eight heavy fuel tankers and 105 fuel trailers;
• Armoured bridging systems;
• Four logistics support vehicles;
• Trucks and ten trailers to transport heavy equipment;
• Secure communications equipment;
• SATCOM terminals and services;
• Funding for training, maintenance, and sustainment.

Unlike Presidential Drawdown, USAI is an authority under which the United States procures capabilities from industry rather than delivering equipment that is drawn down from DoD stocks. The announcement of this USAI package represents the beginning of a contracting process to provide additional capabilities to Ukraine's Armed Forces.

The United States will continue to work with its Allies and partners to provide Ukraine with capabilities to meet its immediate battlefield needs and longer-term security assistance requirements.