The USA "lost" weapons worth over one billion dollars in Ukraine

The Pentagon has published a report that shows that although it has provided Ukraine with military equipment worth more than $1 billion, it is not found in the documents, being diverted or lost, although it is new, sophisticated, sensitive technology. Pentagon officials explain this "disappearance" by deficiencies in the control process, by non-compliance with all the rules provided for such operations. What is certain is that, according to ABC News, about $1 billion worth of military aid cannot be found in the documents.

According to a press release from the Pentagon's Inspector General, "As of June 2, 2023, serial number inventories for more than $1.005 billion (59%) of the total $1.699 billion in defense equipment covered by the EEUM were deficient ". The name EEUM refers to a material which, due to its sensitive nature, is subject to increased supervision regarding its use.

Affected equipment includes Javelin anti-tank missiles, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and Switchblade combat drones.

However, Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said: "There is no credible evidence of an illicit diversion of advanced conventional weapons supplied by the United States to Ukraine."

Instead, ABC News states that Inspector General Robert Storch found that while accounting practices have improved since the beginning of the Russian invasion, as of June 2023 the tracking of more than half of the Javelins, Stinger missiles, sighting devices on night time and other defense equipment sent by the US to Ukraine are not found. The cited source states that the authors of the report do not state that any of the US military equipment was misused, but show that from the analysis carried out, there may have been a diversion of the military assistance provided.

Pentagon officials note that the report is based on data that is more than six months old and argue that requirements for enhanced monitoring of use are often circumvented during an active conflict. However, Storch testified before Congress in March 2023 that improved monitoring of use was "vitally important to ensure that the lethal and nonlethal tools the US provides to its partners are properly accounted for and used in the intended purpose".

The disappearance noted by the recent report raises questions about existing monitoring systems that cannot meet your goals due to non-compliance by partners in Ukraine.

At the time of his testimony to the US Congress, Storch told lawmakers that the enhanced monitoring of the end-use of military equipment in Ukraine "has been carried out largely in accordance with the law", but his office raised concerns about compliance a few weeks later.

The report concludes that the documented failures are due to the limited number of personnel carrying out the work and restrictions on their movement in Ukraine, as well as the absence until December 2022 of end-use monitoring procedures. It also found a 27% improvement in compliance between February and June 2023, but says "significant staffing constraints and accountability challenges remain".

The report comes as the Biden administration's latest funding request to support Ukraine is blocked by the US Congress, as Republicans argue that emergency aid should be tied to tighter border security provisions

From February 2022 until now, the US has provided support to Ukraine totaling more than $75 billion.