(DailyDig.com) – On October 11, Lloyd Austin, Defense Secretary, announced a military assistance package for $200 million for Ukraine. This package would include anti-tank and anti-drone weaponry, artillery ammunition, and air defense ammunition.
The assistance will be promptly sent since it will come directly from existing US stockpiles, thanks to the drawdown authorization of President Biden. The Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) provides an alternate means of supplying help via the contracting of a military corporation to provide such supplies.
Members of the Biden administration have pleaded with Congress to provide emergency aid to the war-torn country. Military authorities have said that the United States had drawdown authority for $5.4 billion and around $1.6 billion in approved funding at the beginning of October.
Approximately $113 billion in humanitarian and military assistance has been authorized by Congress for delivery to Ukraine. The budget for military aid topped $70 billion. In August, the Biden administration formally requested an extra $24 billion in funding from Congress.
According to the Pentagon, spending money on Ukraine’s security is a wise move for the country’s safety. It helps to deter possible aggression abroad, avert a wider confrontation in the area, and provide Americans with well-paying, high-skilled employment while strengthening the American military industrial base.
At a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, Austin met with his colleagues from almost 50 countries. The group is commanded by the United States and coordinates the supply of weaponry to Kyiv. General Charles Q. Brown, US Air Force and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, accompanied Austin.
After the morning session, Brown said he believes all of the countries’ donations are putting the Ukrainians in a strong position. He thinks they’re on the right track, doing all they can to achieve their goals.
Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Representative from Georgia, is one of the few Republicans in the House who has spoken out against sending more money to Ukraine.
With this latest consignment of weaponry, the United States has contributed almost $40 billion to the Ukrainian military.
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