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Saudi Gazette
5 days ago
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Pentagon diverting key anti-drone technology from Ukraine to US forces in the Middle East
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon notified Congress last week that it will be diverting critical anti-drone technology that had been allocated for Ukraine to US Air Force units in the Middle East, according to correspondence obtained by CNN and people familiar with the matter. The move reflects the US' shifting defense priorities under President Donald Trump – toward the Middle East and the Pacific – and the fact that US stockpiles of some defense components are becoming increasingly stretched. The technology, proximity fuzes for the rockets Ukraine uses to shoot down Russian drones, was redirected from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) to Air Force Central Command on orders from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, according to the correspondence dated May 29 and sent to the Senate and House Armed Services committees. USAI is a Defense Department funding program that was established in 2014, when Russia first invaded eastern Ukraine and annexed Crimea. It authorizes the US government to buy arms and equipment for Ukraine directly from US weapons manufacturers. The proximity fuzes were originally purchased for Ukraine but were redirected to the Air Force as a 'Secretary of Defense Identified Urgent Issue,' the correspondence says. The notification was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. The Pentagon has in recent months redirected a large amount of equipment and resources to the Middle East, including air defense systems out of the Indo-Pacific Command, amid threats from Iran and the Houthi rebels in Yemen. It is not yet clear what the impact will be of diverting the fuzes away from Ukraine. But the technology has made their rockets more effective against Russian drones, since the fuze sets off an added explosion as the rocket nears the drone. US forces in the Middle East have had to contend with drones, too, however, particularly from Iran-backed groups in Syria and Iraq. — CNN
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pentagon diverting key anti-drone technology from Ukraine to US forces in the Middle East
The Pentagon notified Congress last week that it will be diverting critical anti-drone technology that had been allocated for Ukraine to US Air Force units in the Middle East, according to correspondence obtained by CNN and people familiar with the matter. The move reflects the US' shifting defense priorities under President Donald Trump – toward the Middle East and the Pacific – and the fact that US stockpiles of some defense components are becoming increasingly stretched. The technology, proximity fuzes for the rockets Ukraine uses to shoot down Russian drones, was redirected from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) to Air Force Central Command on orders from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, according to the correspondence dated May 29 and sent to the Senate and House Armed Services committees. USAI is a Defense Department funding program that was established in 2014, when Russia first invaded eastern Ukraine and annexed Crimea. It authorizes the US government to buy arms and equipment for Ukraine directly from US weapons manufacturers. The proximity fuzes were originally purchased for Ukraine but were redirected to the Air Force as a 'Secretary of Defense Identified Urgent Issue,' the correspondence says. The notification was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. The Pentagon has in recent months redirected a large amount of equipment and resources to the Middle East, including air defense systems out of the Indo-Pacific Command, amid threats from Iran and the Houthi rebels in Yemen. It is not yet clear what the impact will be of diverting the fuzes away from Ukraine. But the technology has made their rockets more effective against Russian drones, since the fuze sets off an added explosion as the rocket nears the drone. US forces in the Middle East have had to contend with drones, too, however, particularly from Iran-backed groups in Syria and Iraq.
Washington Post
11-03-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Visualizing Ukraine's military aid after the U.S. freeze
As the United States and Ukraine kick off talks Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, U.S. military aid to Ukraine remains on hold — along with intelligence sharing and satellite imagery services. The pause began after President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance publicly clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office; Trump accused Zelensky of 'gambling with World War Three' and not showing enough gratitude for U.S. support. As Ukrainian and American leaders navigate this rift in relations, here's a closer look at the aid Ukraine is hoping to get back. Since 2022, the United States has allocated more than $100 billion in aid to Ukraine — far more than any other country. Meanwhile, European nations have collectively allocated more than $140 billion. Of the total U.S. aid, about $67 billion has been designated for military support since Russia's invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy and the State Department. European countries have allocated $65 billion in military aid in the same time frame. The effect of the White House's actions, intended to pressure Zelensky into peace negotiations with Russia, can already be felt on the ground. Ukraine has about six months before it runs out of weapons and the Russians gain more territory, said Mark Cancian, a senior adviser in the defense and security department of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). 'Even with the stockpiles of weapons Ukraine has, they will have to reduce their level of operations in a couple of weeks,' Cancian said. 'And without strategic and tactical intelligence, we are looking at the Ukrainians having close to two months left before Ukrainian lines begin to buckle at one of the many fronts they are fighting,' he said. U.S. military aid to Ukraine comes from two sources: weapons drawn from Pentagon stockpiles, known as the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), or funds that allow Ukraine to purchase arms directly from U.S. manufacturers, known as the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). Weapons purchased through the USAI can take years to be manufactured, according to the Pentagon. The pause in military aid will cause more delays. Only about 20 percent of the military equipment Ukraine uses to fight comes from the U.S., according to the Royal United Services Institute, a British defense think tank; it includes long-range rockets for the multiple rocket launching system known as HIMARS and Patriot missiles, which are among the most effective air defense weapons in the world. While Europe and Ukraine can ramp up manufacturing artillery, missiles and other arms that the U.S. is putting on hold, they are not able to replicate these weapons systems. 'They have done an excellent job marshaling their limited resources, but without U.S. intelligence and aid, it is an impossible task,' said Melinda Haring, a fellow at the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center and a senior adviser at Razom for Ukraine. Data from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, CSIS and the Department of Defense. Kiel estimates the total amount of U.S. aid allocated to Ukraine at more than $120 billion. A congressional report from January reported the number to be over $174 billion. The Kiel Institute told The Washington Post that it tracks only aid that is directly allocated to Ukraine, which means they do not include funding for Ukrainian refugees residing in other countries or the money spent on training Ukrainian soldiers, among other factors. Committed and allocated aid values are approximate because of varying calculation methods and currency conversions for bilateral and military aid to Ukraine. Kiel's monthly allocated military aid values, expressed in U.S. dollars, were calculated using the average exchange rate between euros and dollars for each month.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump halts military aid to Ukraine - what does that mean?
By Mike Stone and Erin Banco WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump has frozen military aid to Ukraine, just days after publicly confronting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the White House and accusing him of being insufficiently grateful for Washington's backing. The halt to U.S. military aid does not only have significant implications for the three-year-old war between Ukraine and Russian invasion forces. It will also impact the U.S. defense industry. Here's how: See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. HOW MUCH HAS THE U.S. SPENT ON MILITARY AID FOR UKRAINE? The United States has pledged and spent at least $65 billion on military aid for Ukraine since Russia's full-blown February 2022 invasion. Primarily, that assistance has been allocated through two tools: the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) and the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). WHAT IS THE PRESIDENTIAL DRAWDOWN AUTHORITY? More than $31 billion worth of weapons and equipment has been pledged to Ukraine under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which allows the president to approve rapid transfers to foreign countries from U.S. military stockpiles, without having to seek congressional approval. More than $20 billion worth of weapons and equipment has already been shipped this way, according to a Reuters analysis. Ukraine is still awaiting a large shipment of armored vehicles that are not set to be delivered until mid-2025, said a Ukrainian official, speaking on condition of anonymity. They are currently being refurbished at depots in Europe. WHAT IS THE UKRAINE SECURITY ASSISTANCE INITIATIVE? The U.S. has bought nearly $33.2 billion worth of new arms and military equipment for Kyiv directly from U.S. and allied defense contractors. That money was allocated by Congress. The USAI is a longer-term approach to arming Ukraine. It will take years for all these weapons to be manufactured and shipped to the battlefield. This category of weapon provides Ukraine a sustained pipeline of modern weaponry and simultaneously sustained revenue for manufacturers. The amount of aid that still needs to be delivered from the American contracts is "significantly less than 15 percent", a Ukrainian official said. Some of the weapons still to be delivered include advanced rocket launchers and missiles. HOW DOES THIS AFFECT U.S. COMPANIES? The halt to USAI not only impacts current orders, but also future production plans and investment decisions for U.S. companies such as L3Harris Technologies, Lockheed Martin Corp, RTX Corp and General Dynamics. It's unlikely that the U.S. government would cancel the orders for Ukraine that have not yet been delivered. It could decide to keep those weapons for itself. Washington needs to replenish its own stocks and - instead of placing new orders - could instead keep the weapons that were bound for Ukraine, essentially reducing the future amount of new contracts on offer to U.S. companies. WHAT WEAPONS HAVE BEEN DELIVERED TO UKRAINE? Among the weapons and equipment provided during the war are U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets, long-range ATACM missiles, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS), short-range air defense interceptors, replacement vehicles, air-to-ground munitions, and artillery.
Reuters
04-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
How Trump's Ukraine military aid halt affects US defense industry
WASHINGTON, March 4 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump has frozen military aid to Ukraine, just days after publicly confronting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the White House and accusing him of being insufficiently grateful for Washington's backing. The halt to U.S. military aid does not only have significant implications for the three-year-old war between Ukraine and Russian invasion forces. It will also impact the U.S. defense industry. Here's how: HOW MUCH HAS THE U.S. SPENT ON MILITARY AID FOR UKRAINE? The United States has pledged and spent at least $65 billion on military aid for Ukraine since Russia's full-blown February 2022 invasion. Primarily, that assistance has been allocated through two tools: the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) and the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). WHAT IS THE PRESIDENTIAL DRAWDOWN AUTHORITY? More than $31 billion worth of weapons and equipment has been pledged to Ukraine under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which allows the president to approve rapid transfers to foreign countries from U.S. military stockpiles, without having to seek congressional approval. More than $20 billion worth of weapons and equipment has already been shipped this way, according to a Reuters analysis. Ukraine is still awaiting a large shipment of armored vehicles that are not set to be delivered until mid-2025, said a Ukrainian official, speaking on condition of anonymity. They are currently being refurbished at depots in Europe. WHAT IS THE UKRAINE SECURITY ASSISTANCE INITIATIVE? The U.S. has bought nearly $33.2 billion worth of new arms and military equipment for Kyiv directly from U.S. and allied defense contractors. That money was allocated by Congress. The USAI is a longer-term approach to arming Ukraine. It will take years for all these weapons to be manufactured and shipped to the battlefield. This category of weapon provides Ukraine a sustained pipeline of modern weaponry and simultaneously sustained revenue for manufacturers. The amount of aid that still needs to be delivered from the American contracts is "significantly less than 15 percent", a Ukrainian official said. Some of the weapons still to be delivered include advanced rocket launchers and missiles. HOW DOES THIS AFFECT U.S. COMPANIES? The halt to USAI not only impacts current orders, but also future production plans and investment decisions for U.S. companies such as L3Harris Technologies (LHX.N), opens new tab, Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N), opens new tab, RTX Corp (RTX.N), opens new tab and General Dynamics (GD.N), opens new tab. It's unlikely that the U.S. government would cancel the orders for Ukraine that have not yet been delivered. It could decide to keep those weapons for itself. Washington needs to replenish its own stocks and - instead of placing new orders - could instead keep the weapons that were bound for Ukraine, essentially reducing the future amount of new contracts on offer to U.S. companies. WHAT WEAPONS HAVE BEEN DELIVERED TO UKRAINE? Among the weapons and equipment provided during the war are U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets, long-range ATACM missiles, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS), short-range air defense interceptors, replacement vehicles, air-to-ground munitions, and artillery. here.
