During the traditional briefing at the Pentagon, the press secretary of the US Department of Defense, Brigadier General Pat Ryder, explained the vague wording of the most classified package of aid for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which was announced on May 9.
This package, under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), worth $1.2 billion, includes six points, of which only three are specific: 155 mm ammunition, satellite imagery, and support for existing weaponry and training.
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The other three points relate to strengthening the air defense and have the most vague wording – additional air defense systems and munitions, ammunition to counter drones, as well as equipment for integrating Western launchers, missiles, and radars with Ukraine's air defense systems.
The Pentagon states that the announcement of the aid signifies “the beginning of a contracting process to provide additional priority capabilities to Ukraine, which will entail exploring options as how to best support them”. It was also noted that the package is being provided under the USAI program, which means ordering weapons from manufacturers and refers to the medium-term and long-term perspectives.
It means that specific proposals have not yet been selected and agreements have not been concluded for this package, it only represents the beginning of this process. Therefore, the vague wording is only related to the fact that these are “vectors” to which the funds will be directed.
The point is that compared to other USAI aid packages, this one does have additional secrecy. For instance, when the $1.75 billion USAI package was announced in February, the number of HAWK missile systems, the number of air surveillance and counter-battery radars, and specific weapons were mentioned. Similarly, the April package was even more specific, listing everything from missiles for NASAMS to systems with APKWSs and even fuel trucks and small arms.
Even an unofficial announcement of the new package, which traditionally appears in leading Western media ahead of the official announcement, was more specific.
Thus, it is possible that the Pentagon has allocated huge amount of money for something abstract, without a clear idea of what will actually be ordered. Or perhaps this refers to types of weapons that even the potential appearance of which in the Armed Forces of Ukraine would be a real surprise for the Kremlin.
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