The Pentagon expects to decide in the coming weeks what ideas it will follow, leading to a possible final production for Ukraine as well as for the US military.
The proposals requested by the department focus on key areas – including air defense capabilities, anti-tank, anti-personnel, coastal defense, anti-tank, unmanned aerial systems, anti-battery and secure communications – identified by Ukraine as key .
They were sought as part of a wide-ranging initiative by the Ministry of Defense to “meet priority security assistance requests for Ukraine”, according to the initial call for ideas sent to industry. The goal is to get ideas and information to speed up production and build more capacity across the industrial base, as the US and its allies are likely to support Ukraine long after its existing stockpiles are depleted.
This comes as the Pentagon continues to transport billions of dollars in weapons. On Thursday, President Joe Biden said the United States would soon announce new $ 800 million in aid, including air defense systems and offensive weapons. So far, the United States has pledged $ 6.1 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded on February 24. The United States is working with more than 50 other countries to see what weapons they can offer.
The preference was for what they have in Russian weapons, because the Ukrainian forces are familiar with these systems and would not need training. But as the war continues, more advanced weapons have been provided and Ukrainian forces have been trained in neighboring countries.
The department’s plan for possible new production contracts reflects an urgent need as it looks for possible deliveries anywhere from less than 30 days to more than 180 days. It also asks companies to specify on what type of air, land or sea platform their weapon can be deployed and if they already have something in production.
“In particular, the Ministry is exploring options that would accelerate production and create greater capacity across the industrial base for weapons and equipment that can be quickly exported, developed with minimal training and proven to be effective on the battlefield,” he said. DOD in his invitation to the industry for ideas.
The effort follows a Pentagon meeting earlier this year with eight of the top defense contractors, as well as approval by Congress to fund arms deals in addition to the ongoing withdrawal and transfer of systems from US military stockpiles.
The Pentagon has put in place a detailed bureaucratic structure to assess Ukraine’s needs and try to speed up their delivery, he said. A new “senior integration team” of senior officials is examining Ukraine’s latest operational needs.
Funding could possibly come from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which is a nearly $ 1 billion container for arms contracts for Ukraine. Nearly $ 240 million has been raised in areas ranging from Switchblade drones to secure communications devices.
