US Plans to Increase Military Aid for Ukraine: Spend IDR 9.5 Trillion, Send HIMARS to Hundreds of Mine-Resistant Vehicles

Illustration of the shipment of HIMARS United States. (Wikimedia Commons/US Marine Corps/Master Sgt. Sarah Nadeau)

JAKARTA - The United States is reportedly planning to send the latest military assistance to Ukraine, including four launchers of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), ammunition, mines, and mine-resistant vehicles with a value of up to 625 million US dollars or around IDR 9,529,718,750,000 according to two sources who identified know this.

The aid, which is expected to be announced as soon as Tuesday local time, is the first aid package since Russia's annexation of Ukrainian territory and the second Presidential Withdrawal Authority (PDA) since Ukraine made major advances on the battlefield in mid-September.

Using withdrawal authorities, four HIMARS launchers and associated rockets, about 200 Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, ammunition for Howitzers and mines, are expected to be delivered to Ukraine in the coming days.

The President's Withdrawal Authority allows the White House to quickly transfer goods and services from stock without Congressional approval, in response to an emergency. The US has so far pledged 16 HIMARS launchers to Ukraine using PDAs.

It is the first package of the US Government's fiscal year 2023, currently functioning under a gap funding measure, allowing President Joe Biden to withdraw an arms surplus of up to US$3.7 billion to transfer to Ukraine through mid-December.

Last week, the United States unveiled a $1.1 billion weapons package for Ukraine, which includes 18 HIMARS with their munitions, various types of drone counter systems, and radar systems.

However, last week's aid package was funded by the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), meaning the government has to buy weapons from industry, not draw from existing US stockpiles.

The White House declined to comment on the package. Meanwhile, officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said weapons packages could change in value and content until the last minute.

Later, with this announcement, the total US security assistance is worth more than 16.8 billion dollars, since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.