The Department of Defense announces a new $150 million package for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) that includes training, equipment, and advisory efforts to help Ukraine’s forces preserve the country’s territorial integrity, secure its borders, and improve interoperability with NATO, Pentagon press service reports.
It is reported that this $150 million package represents the remaining funds appropriated by Congress for USAI in Fiscal Year 2021 and is made possible by the Defense Department, in coordination with the Department of State, certifying that Ukraine has made sufficient progress on defense reforms this year, as required by the National Defense Authorization Act.
“The USAI package includes capabilities to enhance the lethality, command and control, and situational awareness of Ukraine’s forces through the provision of counter-artillery radars, counter-unmanned aerial systems, secure communications gear, electronic warfare and military medical evacuation equipment, and training and equipment to improve the operational safety and capacity of Ukrainian Air Force bases,” the United States Department of Defense said in a statement.
The Pentagon also stressed that these capabilities complement the $125 million USA package announced on March 1, 2021, which included armed Mark VI patrol boats, counter-artillery radars, tactical equipment, support for a satellite imagery and analysis capability, and equipment to support military medical treatment and combat evacuation procedures.
The U.S. Department of Defence called on Ukraine “to continue to enact reforms to: better align Ukraine’s defense enterprise with the core NATO principle of democratic civilian control of the military; adopt a defense industry strategy that better supports the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, bolsters Ukraine’s economic competitiveness, and improves corporate governance; adopt foreign direct investment controls based on national security interests; increase efficiency and transparency in the defense procurement cycle; and advance human resources management reforms to align the Ukrainian Armed Forces with a Western-style career management system.”
Overall, since 2014, the United States has committed more than $2.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine.