The Pentagon said Thursday it overestimated the amount of U.S. security assistance sent to Ukraine in its fight against Russia by around $3 billion, The Hill reported.
Defense officials attributed the mistake to using cost estimates based on new equipment rather than the older versions delivered to Ukraine, meaning replacement costs were used to value weapons rather than their actual price.
The error, discovered in March and recently disclosed, means more security assistance than previously believed will be available for Ukraine in the coming months.
House Republicans slammed the Department of Defense on Thursday for the error, with Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers of Alabama and Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul of Texas issuing a joint statement.
“The revelation of a three-billion-dollar accounting error discovered two months ago and only today shared with Congress is extremely problematic,” the pair wrote.
“These funds could have been used for extra supplies and weapons for the upcoming counteroffensive, instead of rationing funds to last for the remainder of the fiscal year,” they added.
The department estimated earlier this month that it had spent $36.9 billion on Ukraine’s security, less than the $47 billion approved in 2022 for Ukraine’s defense needs.
But the deadline for the initial allotment is quickly approaching, causing some lawmakers to sound the alarm for more aid. Last week, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, addressed it during a hearing with Pentagon leaders.
“It is critical that the administration provide Ukraine with what it needs in time to defend and take back its sovereign territory,” Collins explained. “We expect the administration not to wait until the eleventh hour if the Ukrainians need more before the end of the fiscal year.”
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