The Army Brief: More HIMARS; Increased budget; Land mine restrictions; and more...

Welcome to The Army Brief, a weekly look at the news and ideas shaping the service’s future. 

More HIMARS to Ukraine. The Pentagon is sending four more High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems to Ukraine, as well as tens of thousands of artillery rounds and 18 patrol boats, in a new security assistance package, Defense One reports. The U.S. has now donated more than $6.1 billion worth of weapons, helicopters, and munitions to Ukraine since February. 

Budget bump. The House Armed Services Committee increased the Pentagon’s budget topline by $37 billion, more than the president’s budget request but less than the amount approved by their Senate counterparts, Defense One reports. The additional money will go towards the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, military construction, and to offset the high cost of fuel, among other things. 

Land mine ban. A policy reversal will return prohibitions on making or buying new anti-personnel land mines and will only allow existing ones to be used on the Korean peninsula, Defense One reports. In 2020, President Donald Trump loosened prohibitions and allowed combatant commanders to authorize their use “in a given operational context, such as in certain major combat operations involving U.S. military forces.” 

Sign up to get The Army Brief every Friday morning from Caitlin M. Kenney, Defense One’s military services reporter. On June 26, 1917, the first American troops arrived in France to fight in World War I. 

From Defense One

Leonardo DRS to Merge with Israeli Radar-Maker RADA // Marcus Weisgerber

The deal would beef up the air-defense offerings of the U.S. arm of the Italian company, and into the top 50 largest defense firms.

A Joint Jump for US-UK Friendship Day // Bradley Peniston

The British Army's Red Devils and the U.S. Army's Golden Knights parachute into Washington, D.C.'s baseball stadium.

Russia Is Boosting Food Prices to Undermine Global Support for Sanctions, Officials Say // Patrick Tucker

Moscow is blockading exports, bombing silos, and telling the world that high prices are the West's fault.