Pentagon report finds failure to track $1 billion in weaponry for Ukraine

NewsRescue

According to a new assessment by the Pentagon’s inspector general, the US transferred more than $1 billion in sophisticated weaponry to Ukraine that was inadequately tracked. The redacted version of the inquiry’s conclusions was made public on Thursday, one day after it was presented to the United States Congress.

The study focuses on how the Pentagon implemented enhanced end-use monitoring (EEUM) protocols. These methods relate to a certain type of very sensitive and sophisticated technology and weaponry, such as shoulder-mounted missile systems, kamikaze drones, night-vision gear, and other hardware.

According to the report, the US and its partner nations have supplied Ukraine with an estimated $1.699 billion worth of EEUM-designated hardware. However, despite efforts by the Pentagon and the Ukrainian military to conduct required inventories of the equipment, significant personnel limitations and accountability challenges persist. As of June 2, 2023, approximately 59% of the total value, just over $1 billion, remained improperly tracked.

Lack of proper accountability “may increase the risk of theft and diversion” of the sophisticated EEUM-designated equipment, the report notes. Thus far, the inspector general was not actually tasked with finding out whether the untracked hardware actually ended up stolen. 

“It was beyond the scope of our investigation to determine whether such assistance had been diverted,” the report states.

The Pentagon inspector general “now has personnel stationed in Ukraine” and is still investigating “allegations of criminal conduct with regard to US security assistance to Ukraine.”

Claims of abuse and theft of military gear, lavishly poured into Ukraine by the collective West, surfaced early in the battle between Moscow and Kiev, which began in February 2022.

For example, advanced weapons delivered to the country, like as US-made ‘Switchblade’ kamikaze drones or NLAW shoulder-fired anti-tank missile launchers, have been claimed to be widely accessible for purchase on the Darknet.