The Pentagon has dedicated almost $2.3 billion to protection contracting large Lockheed Martin Corp. in its drive to restock weapons stockpiles which were depleted by U.S. arms deliveries to Ukraine over the previous yr.
Lockheed, the highest producer of weapons supplied to Ukraine by Western powers, may obtain an extra $3.7 billion as a part of the restock push, in keeping with a report by Bloomberg.com that cites new Defense Department information.
Lockheed’s upcoming funds embody $1.4 billion to exchange guided missiles for Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS). In June 2022, the United States, Britain and Germany dedicated to offering a number of of the techniques, together with accompanying rockets, to assist Ukraine keep at bay Russia’s army invasion, in keeping with a Pentagon assertion.
The U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center describes the GMLRS as a “surface-to-surface system used to attack, neutralize, suppress and destroy targets using indirect precision fires up to [about 44 miles].”
Bloomberg reported that Lockheed’s three way partnership with RTX Corp., previously Raytheon Technologies Corp., is on monitor to obtain about $1.4 billion of a possible $1.9 billion to replenish the Pentagon‘s stock of Javelin anti-armor weapons, primarily based on lately up to date Pentagon figures.
The publication reported that RTX additionally has a Pentagon dedication of $844 million to fabricate replacements of probably the most superior Patriot air protection missile despatched to Ukraine and is on monitor to obtain $581 million of a possible $624 million for Stinger air protection missile replacements. General Dynamics Corp. and different contractors have been given commitments of $901 million out of a possible $1.4 billion to offer Kyiv with alternative 155mm howitzer ammunition.
The Pentagon has to this point dedicated some $9.7 billion to rebuild U.S. weapons stockpiles, out of a complete $26 billion appropriated for that function by Congress. Some critics of the battle say the Biden administration must be extra cautious in its spending and support provisions given falling U.S. arsenals, however Ukraine supporters argue the spending will profit the United States in the long term.
“U.S. support for Ukraine is not charity. It is a wise investment that directly supports American national security interests,” mentioned Bradley Bowman, senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power on the Foundation for Defense of Democracies suppose tank.
“For a fraction of the amount of money Washington devotes annually to the Pentagon, the United States is dealing body blows to the second leading conventional military threat to the United States without risking the lives of any American forces,” Mr. Bowman mentioned in an electronic mail.
Washington is sending “an important message” to Russian President Vladimir Putin, in addition to “would-be authoritarian aggressors around the world that the United States will act in response to naked aggression,” he mentioned. “Planting that thought firmly in the heads of decision makers in Beijing, Moscow, Tehran and Pyongyang is money well spent that can help discourage future wars of aggression that would extract a much greater cost from Americans.”
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