On April 14, 2022, President Joe Biden approved an $800 million package of military assistance for Ukraine, including additional helicopters and the first provision of American artillery, in anticipation of a new Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine. The package is the latest in a series of U.S. security assistance packages valued at a combined $2.6 billion that has been committed to Ukraine since Russia invaded on February 24.
background on the conflict
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been ongoing since February 24, with the Ukrainian military putting up a strong resistance against the Russian forces. The United States and its allies have been providing military assistance to Ukraine, which has played a important role in the country’s defense. The new package of assistance approved by President Biden includes a range of military equipment, such as armored personnel carriers, armored Humvees, and naval drone vessels used in coastal defense. The Ukrainians will also receive gear and equipment used to protect soldiers in chemical, biological, nuclear, and radiological attacks.
the new package of assistance
The $800 million package announced by President Biden includes 18 of the U.S. Army’s 155mm howitzers and 40,000 artillery rounds, two air surveillance radars, 300 Switchblade “kamikaze” armed drones, and 500 Javelin missiles designed to knock out tanks and other armor. Also included are 10 counter-artillery radars used to track incoming artillery and other projectiles to determine their point of origin for counter-attacks. Additionally, the package includes 11 Soviet-era Mi-17 helicopters that the United States had planned to provide to Afghanistan before Biden last year decided to fully withdraw from the country. These helicopters are transport helicopters that also can function in an attack role.
reaction from officials
President Biden stated that “this new package of assistance will contain many of the highly effective weapons systems. We have already provided new capabilities tailored to the wider assault we expect Russia to launch in eastern Ukraine.” He also added that “the steady supply of weapons the United States and its allies and partners have provided to Ukraine has been critical in sustaining its fight against the Russian invasion. It has helped ensure that Putin failed in his initial war aims to conquer and control Ukraine. We cannot rest now.” Robert Gates, a former CIA director and defense secretary, believes that the administration needs to push hard for weapon donations by NATO members in Eastern Europe, whose arsenals include Soviet-era tanks and other weaponry and equipment that could help Ukraine immediately. Gates said that “the United States ought to be acting, 24/7. How do we mobilize the equipment and how do we get it into Ukraine and into the hands of the Ukrainians.” He also stated that “it’s critically important and critically urgent, and we ought to be sort of ransacking the arsenals of those states. And I think they would be cooperative, particularly if they are given assurances that the Pentagon will provide American replacements for the donated weapons.”
training and delivery
The Pentagon said that the $800 million package announced by President Biden includes weapons and equipment that will require some training for a Ukrainian military not fully accustomed to American military technology. U.S. and allied forces had been present inside Ukraine to provide training for eight years before pulling out in advance of Russia’s latest invasion. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said that delivery of the material will be expedited, but he offered no specific timetable. Kirby also stated that Ukrainian military personnel will need training on the radars as well as the howitzers and the Switchblade drones, and that the training may be done by U.S. soldiers in Europe. He said that “these are not highly complex systems,” and so extensive training will not likely be required.
The approval of the new package of military assistance for Ukraine is a significant development in the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. The package will provide the Ukrainian military with much-needed equipment and training to defend against the Russian invasion. As President Biden stated, the steady supply of weapons provided by the United States and its allies has been critical in sustaining Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion. The international community will be watching the situation closely, and it remains to be seen how the conflict will unfold in the coming weeks and months.
