The U.S. Isn’t Properly Tracking Its Weapons Supply In Ukraine

Use of the US’s unprecedented weapons supply to Ukraine has not been properly tracked by the Department of Defense — and the country has a history of alleged misuse, loss, or selling of munitions.

by Freddy Brewster, Jacobin

The Defense Department is not conducting adequate oversight of the unprecedented deluge of weapons it’s been sending to Ukraine since Russia’s February 2022 invasion, according to a new government report reviewed by the Lever. That means the end-use of billions of dollars’ worth of arms is at risk of being unaccounted for in a country that was previously a hub for the illicit arms trade.

The report was published a day before the Biden administration announced it would be sending another $300 million in weapons to Ukraine and urged passage of an aid bill held up in Congress that would deliver an additional $60.1 billion to the country.

A serviceman holds an anti-drone rifle in Ukraine

The government report found that since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United States has sent more than $42 billion worth of military equipment, weapons, training, and other military support to the country, and that the United States lacks proper systems to track what is being delivered, when the munitions were delivered, and how they are being used — all of which is required by law.

Federal law requires the Defense Department and Ukrainian officials to track how the military equipment and weapons are being used and to prevent them from being stolen, sold, lost, or misused. Military officials call this “diversion.”