Pentagon watchdog says $1B in military aid for Ukraine improperly tracked

$1 billion worth of U.S. missiles, drones, and other weapons and equipment sent to Ukraine are not being properly tracked by authorities, according to a Pentagon report released Thursday.

Of the $1.69 billion worth of goods requiring additional tracking and monitoring due to sensitive military technology, just over $1 billion, or nearly 60%, was completely unaccounted for, the report found. did.

The Pentagon's inspector general asked whether such weapons were misused or diverted after being shipped to Ukraine, because “it was beyond the scope of our assessment to determine whether there was any diversion of such support.” I didn't mention whether. The watchdog released the full report to Congress on Wednesday and a redacted version to the public the next day.

Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder later told reporters Thursday that there was “no credible evidence that advanced conventional weapons provided by the United States were illegally diverted from Ukraine.”

He also blamed Russian disinformation for fueling fears that these untraceable weapons could be stolen or smuggled.

“We are observing Ukrainians using these capabilities on the battlefield, and we are seeing them use them effectively for all the obvious reasons, and we see Russia using them effectively in Ukraine. We observe that the United States continues to pose a significant threat to the sovereignty of the United States,” Ryder said.

The inspector general's report and its findings add to a debate in Congress over whether to approve more military aid to Ukraine, which is nearing the end of its second year of fighting against Russia following a widespread invasion by Moscow. That's for sure.

Lawmakers may fail to pass a new aid package for Ukraine by the end of the year, and Kiev's economy could be thrown into turmoil due to declining approval ratings. Officials have warned that Kremlin attacks continue to hit cities and energy infrastructure across the country, potentially giving Russian forces an advantage on the battlefield.

There are growing calls for more oversight of military aid, with more lawmakers resisting approving new aid to the country.

Among other things, the report found that as of early June, approximately 40,000 weapons had not been promptly or completely accounted for by American and European officials.

The weapon was supposed to be closely monitored by law, but due to various reasons, including delays in updating the database and limited personnel, the serial number required by the tracking system was not scanned.

The U.S. military has provided handheld barcode scanners to Ukrainian defense personnel to conduct weapons inventories, but “due to the hostile environment and resulting logistical and personnel limitations,” personnel have not received all necessary An inventory could not be taken, the report said.

The watchdog's report highlighted the importance of tracking such equipment as failure to maintain full accountability “may increase the risk of theft or diversion”.

Even achieving a complete picture of all defense supplies in Ukraine “is difficult as the inventory continues to change, and accuracy and completeness are likely to become even more difficult over time,” the document adds. .

The roughly 40,000 defense items cited in the report are just a fraction of the roughly $50 billion in military equipment the United States has sent to Ukraine since 2014, when Russia first annexed Crimea.

Since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022, most of the U.S.-provided weapons, including tanks, drones, missiles, air defense systems, and ammunition, have fallen into the hands of Ukrainian soldiers.