The Drive:

The Pentagon has announced a new military assistance package for Ukraine, the largest to date with a whopping value of nearly $3 billion, as the country marks six months since the start of Russia’s all-out invasion and the 31st anniversary of its independence from the Soviet Union. The new tranche of aid from the U.S. government includes six more National Advanced Surface to Air Missile Systems, or NASAMS, and an unspecified number of counter-drone systems called Vampire, along with more artillery ammunition, radars, and other materiel. The planned transfers are expected to occur over the course of a number of years, underscoring a new and important focus on bolstering the Ukrainian military’s capabilities in the longer term, regardless of how the current conflict might evolve.

The U.S. government is providing the new aid, worth around $2.98 billion in total, via the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). This is a U.S. military assistance mechanism specifically established for Ukraine, which predates the current conflict and is separate from the deliveries of weapons and other materiel that President Joe Biden has authorized using his so-called “drawdown authority.” Drawdowns involve transfers of items from within the U.S. militay’s inventory, while USAI funds direct purchases of new weapons and other equipment, as well as training, maintenance, and other support services, on Ukraine’s behalf.

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