A Senate Democrat raised alarms Tuesday about reports of “diversion and hoarding” of U.S.-supplied weapons in Ukraine.
Sen. Patty Murray, Washington Democrat, told Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin of reports from people on the frontlines in Ukraine that U.S.-supplied weapons, ammunition, and body armor are not reaching units that need it most.
“There seems to be a number of logistical and institutional issues, including some diversion and hoarding, which are standing in the way,” she said at a hearing of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on defense.
Questions about U.S. weapons not reaching fighters in Ukraine took on added significance with Congress mulling sending another $20 billion in security assistance to help fight the Russian invaders.
Sen. Jon Tester, the Montana Democrat who chairs the subcommittee echoed Mrs. Murray’s concern.
“Are we making sure that No. 1, none of these weapons are falling into the wrong hands?” Mr. Tester asked. “Is there any way to even do that? And then No. 2, are we making sure that the taxpayer dollars that are being spent are actually making a difference? And I’m talking a significant difference.”
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Mr. Austin assured the panel that the weapons shipments were making a difference on the battlefield. He cited the Ukrainian defeat of Russians around Kyiv, which he said was enabled by arms supplied by the U.S. and other European allies. He also said U.S. arms were vital to ensuring Ukrainian victory as Russia pivots to a new phase of the war focused on territory in Ukraine’s southern and eastern regions.
However, Mr. Austin also told the panel that without U.S. troops on the ground to monitor the distribution of the weapons, the Pentagon must rely on senior Ukrainian officials to ensure the weapons are properly disseminated.
“We don’t have people on the ground to be able to provide accurate feedback on how this equipment is moving and whether it is getting to where it’s needed most, but the report that we get back from the senior leadership routinely is that it is getting to where it needs to go,” Mr. Austin said.
“This is something that’s very important to us at the Department and to me and [Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. [Mark A.] Milley, specifically,” he added. “We talk to our counterparts on a weekly basis and without fail this is a question I ask about.”
President Biden has authorized $3 billion in security assistance for Ukraine since Russia invaded in late February.
The U.S. has sent 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft systems, 5,500 Javelin anti-armor systems, and 184,000 artillery rounds to Ukraine since the start of the war on top of 7,500 small arms, 60 million rounds of ammunition, hundreds of armored personnel carriers and 16 Mi-17 helicopters.
Other lawmakers dismissed Mrs. Murray’s concerns.
“My observation was that they’re doing actually quite well,” said Sen. Angus S. King Jr., a Maine independent on the Armed Services Committee. “I’ve been to Poland, I’ve talked to the people that are actually handling the equipment. My understanding is that things are getting there.”
Nonetheless, he acknowledged that once the arms cross into Ukraine, the U.S. cannot directly account for where the arms end up.
Sen. Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said getting arms to Ukraine’s front lines is “not like throwing on a light switch.” He said he would “look into the specifics” behind Mrs. Murray’s claims.
Last week, Mr. Biden requested an additional $33 billion in aid to Ukraine, which includes $20 billion in security and military assistance. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have committed to speedy approval of the request.
Mr. Tester said Congress should quickly move forward on approving the additional aid, despite possible diversion or hoarding of some weapons.
“I will take the secretary at his word,” Mr. Tester said. “I don’t know what else we can do.”
• Joseph Clark can be reached at jclark@washingtontimes.com.
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