The Pentagon has overestimated the value of the weapons it has sent to Ukraine by at least $3 billion, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. The error was caused by using the replacement cost of the weapons, rather than their current value, when calculating the total value of the aid.
The admission comes at a critical time when the Biden administration is facing mounting pressure to demonstrate how it intends to continue supporting Ukraine without asking Congress for additional budget.
The error could be an advantage for the war effort, as it will allow the Pentagon to send more weapons to Ukraine without asking Congress for additional funding. The Pentagon has already provided Ukraine with nearly $37 billion in military aid since Russia invaded in February 2022, and is expected to continue providing significant amounts of aid in the coming months.
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Ukraine is on the brink of a highly anticipated counteroffensive. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said previously that the offensive has been postponed due to inadequate supplies.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh clarified that this has not limited US support to Ukraine or impeded aid provision to the battlefield. Efforts are underway to determine the exact surplus resulting from the accounting error. The comptroller has instructed the military services to review all past aid packages to Ukraine using the accurate cost figures. Consequently, the Department will gain greater funding authority as the Ukraine offensive draws near.
The department also said that it is working to correct the error and that it will provide Congress with an updated report on the value of the aid in the coming weeks.
In related news, the Pentagon really has a math problem.
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