US government announces new military aid package for Ukraine

On 9 June 2023, the US Department of Defense announced an additional security assistance package for Ukraine. The new package, which totals up to $2.1 billion and includes critical air defense and ammunition capabilities, is being provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), according to the US Department of Defense. This military aid package includes the following capabilities:

• Additional munitions for Patriot air defense systems;
• HAWK air defense systems and missiles;
• 105-mm and 203-mm artillery rounds;
• Puma Unmanned Aerial Systems;
• Laser-guided rocket system munitions;
• Support for training, maintenance, and sustainment activities.

"This USAI package illustrates the continued commitment to both Ukraine’s critical near-term capabilities as well as the enduring capacity of Ukraine’s Armed Forces to defend its territory and deter Russian aggression over the long term," according to the US Department of Defense's statement. "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."

Unlike the US Presidential Drawdown authority, which the US Department of Defense has continued to leverage to deliver equipment to Ukraine from the US Department of Defense stocks, USAI is an authority under which the US government procures capabilities from industry or partners. This military aid package marks the beginning of a contracting process to provide additional priority capabilities to Ukraine, according to the US Department of Defense. Related:

• US debt-limit deal won’t restrict US ability to provide more aid for Ukraine - Bloomberg sources
• Pentagon accounting error overvalued Ukraine aid by USD 3 billion - Reuters sources
• US military aid to Ukraine exceeds average annual Afghanistan war expenditure