US temporarily unable to ensure maintenance of weapon systems delivered to Ukrainian army

Due to a lack of funding, the United States cannot repair the weapons supplied to Ukrainian forces. Laurent Lagneau reports in Opex360. The United States has exhausted the available funds that previously allowed them to provide military assistance to Ukraine. An allocation of 61 billion dollars is on the table, but its release has not yet been approved by Congress, where Republicans and Democrats have no intention of giving each other any favors, especially in an election year. This week, the White House has urged senators to reach an agreement.
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Ukrainian M1A1 Abrams (Picture source: @OSINTtechnical)

At the moment, the United States cannot deliver the ammunition and weapon systems that Ukraine needs. What's worse, Laurent Lagneau underlines, is that they are also unable to maintain the operational condition of the numerous pieces of equipment already supplied, such as the M142 HIMARS, the Patriot air defense systems, the Bradley Fighting Vehicles, and the M1A1 Abrams tanks. The Pentagon is currently unable to provide the necessary spare parts or even assist Ukrainian personnel assigned to maintenance.

"The persistent lack of funding has forced us to suspend withdrawals from our stocks, given the implications for our own military readiness. And of course, this prevents us from meeting Ukraine's most urgent needs on the battlefield, especially in terms of artillery, anti-tank weapons, and air defense interceptors," explained General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon spokesperson, on January 23. "Without additional funding, we are not able to help the Ukrainians maintain the systems we have already provided to them," he added.

This problem adds to the recent issue raised by a German parliamentarian regarding the operational readiness of the Leopard 2 tanks delivered to Kyiv due to a lack of available spare parts, Laurent Lagneau adds. Furthermore, it has been revealed that Ukrainian technicians have not been adequately trained to perform the first-level maintenance of these tanks.

Defense News January 2024