Ukrainian soldiers prepare a vehicle adapted to fire helicopter shells as the Russia-Ukraine war continues in the direction of Toretsk, Ukraine, August 19, 2024. Diego Herrera Carcedo / Anadolu via Getty Images
US still needs to improve monitoring of arms sent to Ukraine, GAO finds
The State Department and Defense Department aren’t communicating well about Ukraine aid. That could hurt Ukraine.
The Defense Department and the State Department aren’t doing a good job of communicating about some of the key arms transfers for Ukraine, according to a GAO report out Tuesday.
The United States has pledged $6.33 billion in foreign military financing to 10 European countries in order to facilitate what are called third-party transfers. That’s where the U.S. gives money to another country to transfer U.S.-made weapons or equipment in that country’s inventory to Ukraine. So far, the State Department has authorized 217 of those transfers. Many include items like Stinger anti-aircraft systems, air-to-air missiles, and Javelin anti-armor systems, all of which require what’s called enhanced end-use monitoring to make sure they’re making it to the correct recipient and being used as intended.
GAO found that State authorizes these transfer requests 12 days after receipt, on average, far faster than requests for other countries. The speed makes sense given the urgency of arming Ukraine to defend against continual Russian attacks. But as part of that process, GAO found, the State Department isn’t doing enough to make sure the Defense Department can track the key items going into Ukraine.
“DOD officials are often unaware of [third-party-transfers] authorized by State until they are identified upon entry to Ukraine, if at all,” according to the report.
GAO also found that due to factors on the ground, the Defense Department “is unable to conduct end-use monitoring on some of these articles, even when required to do so. As a result, key data about the extent and status of U.S.-origin defense articles in Ukraine are limited.”
That may sound minor, but it could have ramifications for future aid.
The Defense Department Inspector General hasn’t found any systematic diversion of key weapons given to Ukraine, and Ukraine has done much to crack down on corruption where it exists. But U.S. tracking shortfalls have allowed some politicians, such as Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, to argue that the United States should end military aid to Ukraine—aid that Kyiv says is vital to the country’s survival.
The GAO report lays out a series of recommendations to streamline better communication between the State Department, the Defense Department, and countries that are aiding Ukraine.