Estimated “accounting error” of American military assistance to Ukraine: delivered half as much

US decides to increase arms support for Kyiv by another $6 billion

An additional $6 billion will be earmarked for U.S. weapons for Ukraine after an “accounting error” that would mean more weapons, ammunition and other equipment for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The Pentagon says it overestimated the value of the weapons it sent to Ukraine by $6.2 billion – about double the original estimate – leaving a surplus that will be used for future aid packages.

A detailed analysis of the accounting error showed that the replacement cost, rather than the book value, of equipment that was removed from warehouses was used, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said.

Earlier in May, the Pentagon made a similar claim that it had overestimated the cost of munitions, missiles and other equipment by about $3 billion, a figure that could rise with further investigation. On Tuesday, Sabrina Singh said final calculations showed there was a $3.6 billion error in the current fiscal year and $2.6 billion in fiscal year 2022, which ended Sept. 30.

As a result, the US military has additional money that it can use to support Ukraine in its counteroffensive against Russia, writes The Guardian. This happened as the fiscal year drew to a close and Congressional funding began to dwindle.

“It will just go back into the money we have earmarked for future Pentagon destocking,” Singh said.

The Pentagon has repeatedly used the president’s redundancy powers to take weapons, ammunition and other equipment off the shelves so they can get to Ukraine much faster than they can go through the buying process.

Based on previous estimates announced on June 13, the US has provided more than $40 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia launched a special military operation. Using the new calculations, the US actually provided less than $34 billion in aid.

Officials were unable to give exact totals for the downsizing or for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which provides long-term funding for arms purchases, including some of the larger air defense systems.

The US has approved four rounds of assistance to Ukraine in response to Russia’s special military operation totaling about $113 billion, with some of that money going to replenish American military equipment that has been sent to the front lines. Congress approved the latest round of assistance in December totaling approximately $45 billion for Ukraine and NATO allies. While the package was designed to last until the end of the fiscal year in September, much depends on developments on the ground, especially as the new counter-offensive intensifies.

President Joe Biden and his top national security officials have repeatedly said the US will help Ukraine “as long as it takes” to fight Russia. Privately, United States administration officials have warned Ukrainian officials that there is a limit to the patience of a narrowly divided Congress — and the American public — for the costs of a conflict with no clear end.

Members of Congress have repeatedly pressured U.S. Department of Defense officials about how closely the United States monitors its aid to Ukraine to ensure it doesn’t get scammed or fall into the wrong hands. The Pentagon said it has a “robust program” to track aid as it crosses the Ukrainian border and to track it when it arrives, depending on the sensitivity of each weapon system.

Sabrina Singh said the accounting error would not affect the continued delivery of aid to Ukraine.