- Gen. CQ Brown, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is visiting a U.S. weapons factory with members of Congress to emphasize the importance of the $95 billion aid package for Ukraine.
- Prime Minister Brown will be accompanied by MPs representing factory workers, who have raised concerns about sending billions of workers overseas.
- Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Sen. John Lankford of Oklahoma, who were originally scheduled to accompany Brown, will not be participating in the trip.
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s decision comes as the Pentagon characterizes the $95 billion aid package pending on Capitol Hill as not only critical to Ukraine’s survival but also to the U.S. economy. CQ Gen. Brown is visiting US weapons factories in Oklahoma and Arkansas on Thursday.
To address concerns about billions of dollars going overseas despite so many needs at home, Secretary Brown announced plans for Lockheed Martin’s Camden, Arkansas, and Oklahoma weapons facilities. He is visiting the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant in McAlester, state, along with members of Congress representing factory workers. Some of these lawmakers have already voted against the aid or indicated they intend to do so.
The general traveled with Republican Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas, Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, Republican Rep. Brad Westerman of Arkansas, and then Republican Rep. Josh of Oklahoma in McAlester. He is scheduled to have a meeting with Briechen.
US sends $300 million in weapons to Ukraine despite lacking funds to replenish its own stockpile
Brown will use his visit to talk about how money is needed to replenish U.S. military supplies sent to Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression, and how increased production will help. He said he would point out how it would support the local economy. The Pentagon has increasingly pushed this point in recent months, as current Ukrainian funding has dried up and the Ukrainian front has begun rationing ammunition to the far more powerfully supplied Russian military.
Air Force Gen. Brown, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, participates in an online Ukraine Defense Liaison Group meeting at the Pentagon in Washington on November 22, 2023. Secretary Brown will address concerns about billions of dollars being sent abroad to Ukraine and other allies despite so many needs at home in Oklahoma and Arkansas. Visiting a weapons factory in the United States. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)
“As I have done with other members, and will continue to do with these members, I want to emphasize the importance of the Additional Clause and how it will not only help Ukraine, but how it will help all of us. “I’m going to talk to them about how it can help. What I would say is, this is a large portion of the funding, and about 80% of the additional funding will go back into our defense industrial base.” Brown spoke on a call with reporters ahead of the visit.
Lockheed Martin’s Camden plant will produce the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), a long-awaited long-range fire system that Ukraine is effectively using against Russian front lines, and the Army Tactical Missile System, a long-range missile. (ATACMS). Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said it had proven effective against Russian forces. The McAlester plant produces bombs for the Navy and Air Force, but is also a major storehouse for urgently needed 155mm ammunition. To assist Ukraine, the McAlester plant also accelerated repairs on Stinger and Hawk missiles, refurbishing South Korean-provided 155mm rounds with new markings and fuses.
“I think it’s really worth it to come see this firsthand and spend some time on the plane talking about why this is important and why it’s important to go to these two places.” Mr. Brown said.
Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and John Rank, R-Oklahoma, who negotiated the failed border bill that is currently a bottleneck in the Ukraine aid bill in the House. Sen. Ford was scheduled to travel with Brown, but will no longer be on the trip.
Vance leads bill to address U.S. munitions and preparedness amid Ukraine aid fight
As the war drags on, lawmakers have taken different approaches to aiding Ukraine.
In May 2022, Arkansas senators were divided over a $40 billion aid package for Ukraine, with Cotton joining Lankford in favor of aid and Boozman opposing it.
Before being elected to the Senate, Mullin, then a member of the House of Representatives, joined Westerman in voting in favor of the 2022 aid package.
But more recently, when the Senate approved a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Indo-Pacific allies last month, Cotton, Lankford and Mullin voted against it, while Boozman voted for it.
The bill is currently stalled in the House due to opposition from hardline Republicans, including Rep. Josh Brechen, who joined Congress in 2023. “This disastrous bill must be stopped,” he said on social media.
