$62 Million in Weapons Aid ‘Lost or Destroyed,’ Pentagon Unsure

(BrightPress.org) – The Pentagon can’t account for $62 million in U.S. weapons aid sent to Ukraine. A new report, released on June 26th, highlights the missing aid and the ongoing issues in tracking this military support.

These weapons were meant for end-use monitoring (EEUM). Problems in reporting and tracking between U.S. and Ukrainian forces have left a gap in information about what happened to this equipment. The Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General (OIG) noted that the Pentagon has had consistent issues tracking U.S. aid to Ukraine since the war with Russia began in 2022.

The lack of EEUM loss reports and thorough analysis makes it difficult for the DoD to understand if there are any potential violations involving these defense articles. The missing equipment increases the risk of losing accountability for the weapons provided to Ukraine.

The U.S. European Command’s Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) didn’t consistently get thorough loss reports from Ukrainian forces, even though there were protocols in place. On average, it took 301 days from the initial loss of a defense item to the final loss report, far longer than the 30-day requirement.

U.S. forces responsible for tracking these weapons also didn’t properly analyze existing loss reports to assess the risk of weapons being captured by Russian forces. The report couldn’t determine if U.S. weapons assistance had been diverted. It noted that the OIG is currently investigating criminal conduct concerning U.S. security aid to Ukraine.

The Pentagon’s inspector general has previously pointed out several issues with tracking U.S. weapons sent to Ukraine. A January investigation revealed that defense and diplomatic officials failed to properly monitor over $1 billion in weapons aid. This was about 69% of the $1.6 billion that was supposed to be tracked for its use.

The January report emphasized the challenge of getting a full picture of EEUM-designated defense articles in Ukraine. With the inventory constantly changing, maintaining accuracy and completeness grows increasingly difficult.