United States Department of Defense on May 24 announced a new military aid package to Ukraine amounting to $275 million allocated under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) program, i.e. from the stocks of the U.S. military.
With a closer look at the articles included in this provision, we can see that it quite faithfully reflects how the Pentagon is seeing the operational situation develop on the frontlines of the war in Ukraine and how it sets the priorities, selecting which ones are vital right now.
Read more: Another IRIS-T Air Defense System Delivered to Ukraine from Germany
To start with, the first few items on the list are additional guided rockets for M142 HIMARS systems, 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds, and even 60mm mortar shells. The ammunition for artillery systems is crucial on the battlefield to stop russian attempts to advance, thus such focus.
Next are TOW and Javelin missiles. Current conditions in Ukraine have proven that besides their original purpose, these weapons can take on the role of ersatz "light artillery" at close distances to lift some of the pressure on big barrels. The same goes for the "precision aerial munitions" mentioned in the brief.
Other items include small arms and rounds for them, as well as helmets, vests and NBC protection suits. Interestingly, the U.S. provides both anti-tank mines for stopping enemy offensives and demolition charges for breaking through the russian minefields. And finally, an unspecified number of tactical vehicles to recover equipment damaged in combat and spare parts for repairs.
To summarize, the priorities as viewed by the White House are: first comes artillery, then equipment for infantry, everything else comes afterward.
That said, the Pentagon notes in its statement that the United States "will continue to work together with some 50 Allies and partners to ensure Ukraine's brave defenders receive the critical capabilities," meaning that the missing capabilities will be filled in by other countries.
For example, on the same day, Germany announced the delivery of an additional IRIS-T SLM air defense system, the fourth one to date. European countries also push forward with the Czech initiative to buy even more ammunition for Ukrainian howitzers to keep firing.
The lack of previously unsupplied novelties could also be related to the half-year gap with no funding of aid for Ukraine until one month ago.
Read more: Why Czech Initiative Is a Good Idea, Ukrainian Armor Answers
