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PENTAGON

PENTAGON FELL SHORT IN TRACKING $1 BILLION IN UKRAINE AID, IG FINDS

By Bryant Harris and Noah Robertson
Jan 11, 11:01 PM

Mykola, 50, the deputy commander of a Ukrainian volunteer unit, poses with a
night vision scope at a position used by the unit to counter threats during air
raid sirens, in a suburb of Kyiv on February 28, 2023. (Photo by YASUYOSHI CHIBA
/ AFP) (Photo by YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP via Getty Images)

WASHINGTON ― The Defense Department has not fully complied with enhanced
tracking requirements for roughly $1 billion worth of equipment sent to Ukraine,
a Pentagon Inspector General report released Thursday found.

Most of the improperly tracked equipment is night vision devices, but the list
also includes drones as well as missiles. The report did not find any instances
of misuse or diversion of the U.S. equipment, as Pentagon Inspector General
Robert Storch noted such an assessment would “fall beyond the scope of this
project.”

“While there has been significant improvement in the delinquency rate for
inventorying this sensitive equipment, persistent gaps as identified in our
evaluation may correlate with an inability to maintain complete accountability
for this critical U.S. security assistance,” Storch said in a statement.

The Pentagon released enhanced end-use monitoring guidance in December 2022.
About $1.7 billion worth of equipment sent to Ukraine falls under these
guidelines. The report found that $1 billion of this amount did not live up to
these standards, with equipment not properly bar-code scanned and entered into
the appropriate database within the required 90-day timeframe.

According to the Pentagon Inspector General, Defense Department compliance on
tracking this equipment has improved, with delinquency falling by 27% from
February to June 2023.

Still, the Inspector General report notes “significant personnel limitations and
accountability challenges remain.”

It recommends the Defense Department improve inventory procedures for equipment
that requires enhanced tracking and bettering “the accuracy and completeness” of
its database, among other measures.

At the Pentagon press briefing Thursday, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said there were no
credible signs American aid is being used illegally.

The Defense Department is taking steps to better track its equipment, include
using handheld scanners to scan barcodes and working with partners to monitor
inventory, Ryder said.

“The Ukrainians have offered unprecedented access to information as it relates
to the equipment that we’re providing,” he said.

In addition, Ryder said the Pentagon continues to see Ukraine use American aid
on the battlefield, despite Russian “disinformation to the contrary.”

The Inspector General report comes at a sensitive time for Ukraine, with the
fate of continued U.S. assistance to the war-torn country uncertain.

President Joe Biden’s $61 billion request to Congress for additional military
and economic support to Ukraine has stalled on Capitol Hill, with Republicans
demanding a series of unrelated immigration policy changes to advance the
package. The Pentagon notified Congress in December it is using the last $1
billion it has on hand to replenish U.S. equipment for Ukraine.

Congress has passed a cumulative $113 billion in Ukraine economic and security
aid since Russia’s invasion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is pushing for additional air defenses
to ward off Russian missile barrages. He has previously told Congress Kyiv will
lose the war without additional aid.

About Bryant Harris and Noah Robertson

Bryant Harris is the Congress reporter for Defense News. He has covered U.S.
foreign policy, national security, international affairs and politics in
Washington since 2014. He has also written for Foreign Policy, Al-Monitor, Al
Jazeera English and IPS News.

Noah Robertson is the Pentagon reporter at Defense News. He previously covered
national security for the Christian Science Monitor. He holds a bachelor’s
degree in English and government from the College of William & Mary in his
hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia.

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