The Reason US Military Aid To Ukraine Remains A Bargain

For the $22 billion a year of its $800 billion national defense budget, the US has severely degraded the military capability of one of its most dangerous global competitors, has embarrassed that country's leaderships and allies, enabled - via Israel - the extreme threat posed by another Russian supporter, Iran, demonstrated the superiority of US weaponry over Russian - and all without a single deployed US casualty. 

Russia, on the other hands, has lost hundreds of thousands of soldiers, tens of thousands of weapons and vehicles, demonstrated the incompetence and corruption of its military, seen allies like Syria and Iran fade. Not a bad outcome. JL

Stavros Atlamazoglou reports in The National Interest:

Valued at $725 million, the latest package of U.S. military aid to Ukraine includes air defense weapons, munitions for multiple rocket launch systems and artillery, anti-tank weapons, and unmanned aerial systems. To date, the U.S. has provided $64.1 billion in military aid to Ukraine. This amounts to $22 billion per year, a small sum for the impact it has on the ground. With this aid, the Ukrainian forces have severely degraded the capabilities of the Russian military, killing and wounding 800,000 men and destroying tens of thousands of heavy weapon systems. In this way, the U.S., which spends more than $800 billion on defense every year, is getting a bargain from its support of Ukraine.

The United States continues to show its material support to the defense of Ukraine with another package of military aid to the embattled nation worth close to $1 billion. The Ukrainian military’s ability to fight an effective defense against the Russian invaders directly relies on the security aid provided by the U.S.-led international coalition.

 

Valued at $725 million, the latest package of U.S. military aid to Ukraine includes air defense weapons, munitions for multiple rocket launch systems and artillery, anti-tank weapons, and unmanned aerial systems.  

 

Specifically, the latest package of security assistance includes munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS); FIM-92 Stinger missiles shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (c-UAS) munitions, ammunition for the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and M270 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS), 155mm and 105mm artillery shells, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), non-persistent land mines, Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided (TOW) missiles for anti-tank roles, FGM-148 Javelin and AT-4 anti-tank weapons, small arms and ammunition, demolitions equipment and munitions, equipment to protect critical national infrastructure, spare parts, ancillary equipment, services, training, and transportation. 

 

The Russian military has been making gains over the past few months, and the Ukrainian forces are desperate for all the help they can get. 

In addition, the U.S., France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Norway, the Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom have provided important military aid. Dozens of other countries have sent billions of dollars worth of weapon systems and munitions to Kyiv’s aid. 

 

This is the 71st package of military aid to Ukraine since August 2021, a few months before the large-scale Russian invasion. To this date, the U.S. has provided approximately $64.1 billion in military aid to Ukraine. 

 

This amounts to about $22 billion per year and is quite a small sum for the impact it has on the ground. With this military aid, the Ukrainian forces have managed to severely degrade the capabilities of the Russian military, killing and wounding almost 800,000 men and destroying tens of thousands of heavy weapon systems. 

In a way, the U.S., which spends more than $800 billion on its defense every year, is getting a bargain out of its support of Ukraine.   

 

“Russian aggression still poses a threat to Ukrainian sovereignty. The Ukrainians have demonstrated and expressed the will to continue to fight. And as Secretary Austin has said many times, Ukraine matters not only to European security but to U.S. and international security,” Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Major General Pat Ryder said in a press briefing.  

“So, we will continue to consult with our Ukrainian partners. We'll continue to consult with our allies and partners around the world in terms of what Ukraine needs to defend itself. And so, we will continue to support them in their fight,” Ryder added.  

It remains to be seen whether the new administration will continue to support Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression. It is a noble cause with strategic benefits, a rare combination.