Stryker armored personnel carriers are among the weapons being shipped to Ukraine. (US DOD)
FLYING OVER THE ATLANTIC OCEAN — As Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive to push Russian troops back and reclaim land gets underway, the Pentagon has unveiled a new $325 million weapons package for Kyiv that includes 25 combat vehicles and air defense weapons.
Today’s announcement marks the 40th time the Biden administration has announced plans to pull weapons from its stockpile to send to Ukraine, and said this package is aimed at helping the Eastern European nation “retake its sovereign territory and support Ukraine’s air defenders.”
Included in the mix are a duo of big-ticket combat vehicles already in the fight, with an additional 15 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and 10 Stryker armored personnel carriers now earmarked for Ukraine. The Pentagon is also continuing its push to restock Kyiv’s ammunition coffers and included an unspecified number of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) rounds, 155 mm and 105 mm projectiles, Javelin anti-tank missiles, National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) munitions, and more.
“The United States will continue to work with its allies and partners to provide Ukraine with capabilities to meet its immediate battlefield needs and long-term security assistance requirements,” the Department of Defense wrote in the announcement. However, it did not disclose when it plans to deliver those vehicles and munitions and if they will arrive in time to help Ukraine with its counteroffensive.
Those operations are expected to be a focal point later this week when the Ukraine Defense Contact Group and NATO Defense Ministerial meetings kicks off in Brussels on Thursday. As in the past, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Mark Milley are slated to attend the two-day event representing the United States. (Breaking Defense is travelling with Austin during this trip.)
Once there, they will join other defense leaders within NATO to discuss Ukraine’s needs as the offensive enters the summer months, including ways to bolster weapon production and how best to train Ukrainian troops on how to use and maintain future capabilities like the M1 Abrams main battle tank and the F-16 fighter aircraft.
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