Defense & National Security — Ukraine getting another $1 billion in weapons

by Ellen Mitchell - 08/08/22 7:06 PM ET

The United States has greenlighted the largest military assistance package to Ukraine thus far, preparing to send $1 billion in ammunition for advanced rocket systems, vehicles and explosives to help the country beat back the Russian invasion.

We’ll detail what’s in the latest package and how it’s helping Kyiv, plus more on new Russian casualty estimates, extended Chinese wargames near Taiwan, a recovered fighter jet that blew off an aircraft carrier last month, and the next step for the soon-to-be-signed bill addressing toxic exposure for veterans.

This is Defense & National Security, your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. For The Hill, I’m Ellen Mitchell.

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Pentagon unveils more lethal aid for Ukraine

The Pentagon on Monday announced a $1 billion military assistance package for Ukraine, aid in the form of ammunition for advanced rocket systems, vehicles and explosives to help in its fight against Russia.

The new assistance package will include ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as 75,000 rounds of 155 mm artillery ammunition and 50 armored medical treatment vehicles, according to a Defense Department statement.

Biggest ever: “It is the largest single drawdown of U.S. arms and equipment utilizing this authority, and this package provides a significant amount of additional ammunition, weapons, and equipment — the types of which the Ukrainian people are using so effectively to defend their country,” according to the statement.

The U.S. government has now approved nearly $10 billion in security assistance for Ukraine over the course of 18 packages since August 2021.

Also coming soon: The latest weapons tranche coincides with a newly announced $4.5 billion in humanitarian aid for the Ukrainian government, the Treasury Department announced Monday. That funding will be given to Ukraine in batches, beginning with a $3 billion disbursement this month.

What else is in it: The latest lethal aid package will also include 20 120 mm mortar systems and 20,000 rounds of 120 mm mortar ammunition; munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems; 1,000 Javelin and hundreds of AT4 anti-armor systems; claymore anti-personnel munitions; C-4 explosives, demolition munitions, and demolition equipment; and medical supplies, according to the Pentagon.

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RUSSIA HAS SEEN 70,000-80,000 CASUALTIES SINCE INVASION

Russia’s military has suffered roughly 70,000 to 80,000 casualties since it first attacked Ukraine in late February, the Pentagon’s top policy official said Monday.

“The Russians are taking a tremendous number of casualties,” Colin Kahl, Defense Department under secretary for policy, told reporters.

“There’s a lot of fog in war but I think it’s safe to suggest that the Russians have probably taken 70 or 80,000 casualties in the less than six months. Now, that is a combination of killed in action and wounded in action and that number might be a little lower, a little higher, but I think that’s kind of in the ballpark,” Kahl said.

Earlier estimates: The Russian casualty figure is higher than previous U.S. estimates. CIA Director William Burns late last month estimated that 15,000 Russians have died in Ukraine and some 45,000 have been wounded.

Burns admitted, however, that intelligence estimates of battlefield casualties are “always a range,” and “there’s no perfect number.”

‘Remarkable’: Kahl said that number of Russian casualties is “remarkable” given that Moscow has “achieved none of Vladimir Putin’s objectives” since invading Ukraine six months ago.

He attributed the stark numbers to Ukrainian morale and will to fight, which he said is “unquestioned, and much higher, I think, than the average morale and will to fight on the Russian side.”

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Biden ‘not worried’ as China extends wargames

President Biden on Monday said he’s “not worried” about China’s aggressive response to Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) trip last week to Taiwan, adding that he doesn’t think things will escalate any further between the U.S. and Beijing.

“I’m not worried, but I’m concerned that they’re moving as much as they are. But I don’t think they’re going to do anything more,” Biden told reporters.

Ongoing military drills: The Biden administration has condemned Beijing’s live-fire drills in the waters surrounding Taiwan, which included multiple Chinese warships and aircraft crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait, following Pelosi’s visit.

“They are provocative, irresponsible, and raise the risk of miscalculation, that’s what the president was referring to,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday, referring to China’s response.

“They are also at odd with our longstanding goal of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan strait, which is what the world expects,” she added.

China announced new military drills around Taiwan on Monday.

Earlier: Pelosi’s visit to Taipei last week made her the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the island in 25 years. The Chinese foreign ministry characterized her visit as having a “severe impact on the political foundation of China-U.S. relations.”

Navy recovers F/A-18 that fell into Mediterranean

An F/A-18 fighter jet that was blown off the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman into the Mediterranean Sea during bad weather last month has been recovered, the Navy announced Monday.

The more than 32,000-pound F/A-18E Super Hornet, which costs roughly $50 million, was recovered from a depth of 9,500 feet, according to a Navy statement.

How it was salvaged: A team of U.S. 6th Fleet, Task Force 68, Naval Strike Wing Atlantic and Naval Sea Systems Command retrieved the aircraft last Wednesday using a remote-operated vehicle that placed a special line on the jet.

A crane-lifting hook attached to a ship was then lowered to the seafloor and connected to the rigging, allowing it to lift the aircraft to the surface and hoist it onboard.

An unusual incident: The Navy recovered the F/A-18 27 days after it was swept off the deck of the Truman on July 8 as the ship was conducting a resupply mission in unexpected heavy weather.

The incident is highly unusual as the Navy has methods in place to withstand heavy weather and prevent such mishaps, including chaining down aircraft.

It was not clear if such methods were used at the time of the accident, and the service did not release the exact location where the jet was lost or recovered.

What’s next?: The aircraft was delivered to an unnamed, nearby military installation to be prepared for transport to the United States, according to the Navy.

An investigation into how the aircraft was first lost has been launched.

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THE NEXT BATTLE FOR VETERANS

Veterans clinched a victory after the Senate passed a bill that would expand medical coverage for former service members with toxic exposures. But after a long-fought battle with no shortage of last-minute drama, their work is far from over.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) must now implement the legislation efficiently amid concerns of the department’s poor track record and existing backlogs.

Coming soon: President Biden is expected to sign into law the Sgt. First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act on Wednesday, which will expand access to VA health care and benefits for veterans who were exposed to toxins during war.

The VA is already encouraging veterans to apply for benefits. But moving forward, veterans service organizations and other experts say the department will have to buckle down if it wants to implement the legislation as smoothly as possible.