Defense Department Lost Track Of Over $1B Military Aid Given To Ukraine, Reveals Pentagon's Inspector General

In a recent revelation from the Pentagon's inspector general, the Defense Department has reportedly been unable to maintain oversight of more than $1 billion in military aid given to Ukraine.

What Happened: The Pentagon has lost track of various sensitive military equipment, including one-way attack drones, shoulder-fired missiles, and night-vision goggles, sent to Ukraine. This comes as President Joe Biden is lobbying Congress for a significant additional aid package for Ukraine. However, Republican demands for major changes to U.S. border policy have led to a stalemate in the debate, according to The Washington Post report on Thursday.

The report, which assessed about $1.7 billion in weapons and equipment in the special tracking category, found that more than half had not been properly accounted for. “The Defense Department did not fully comply with the Enhanced End-Use Monitoring (EEUM) program requirements for defense article accountability in a hostile environment,” the report stated. The report, however, did not conclude that any aid had been diverted from the war’s front lines.

Senior Pentagon and State Department officials have disputed the findings, insisting on alternative accounting methods for the Ukrainians and voicing confidence in the tracking of the assistance.

"To date there is no evidence of unauthorized or illicit transfer … outside of Ukraine," acting undersecretary of defense for policy Alexandra N. Baker wrote in a response included in the report.

Why It Matters: The report’s findings could potentially complicate future aid to Ukraine as congressional Republican support has waned in recent months. Last month, the U.S. committed to an aid package worth $250 million to help Ukraine's armed forces in the ongoing conflict with Russia.

Around the same time, President Biden’s $61 billion Ukraine aid request faced GOP opposition tied to U.S.-Mexico border security demands. The White House warned that existing aid could be depleted by year-end without the requested funds. Former National Security Advisor John Bolton had also predicted that Republican demands for immigration policy reform would affect the progression of Ukraine aid.

The U.S.’s financial backing of Ukraine during its ongoing conflict with Russia has been a topic of contention, with many members of Congress and the American public against signing further aid for Ukraine and Israel after spending billions to help both nations on multiple previous occasions.

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