Yes I have been bitching here on IST about all the money were are wasting on Ukraine…yes I said wasting.
Then why are we so damn generous?
I have the answer……
As Russia’s attack on Ukraine drags on, the world is dealing with a lot of uncertainty. At every stage, predictions about the war have done poorly when met with the cold, hard reality of modern conflict. But one thing has been certain from the start: the U.S. defense industry is going to cash in.
A recent example of this came last week when Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) proposed a new amendment to this year’s National Defense Authorization Act. The proposal would give the Department of Defense wartime powers that would free it to buy huge amounts of artillery and other munitions using multi-year contracts, according to Defense News.
Here’s the important part: the amendment would also authorize the Pentagon to skip competitive contracting for Ukraine-related deals (including billions of dollars worth of contracts to refill U.S. stockpiles), and it would waive other provisions aimed at stopping weapons makers from overcharging taxpayers.
Defense contractors eye long-term profits from Ukraine war
All those weapons sent….where do they actually go?
For around 60 years, the United States published an annual study called the World Military Expenditures and Arms Transfers (WMEAT) report. The document provided detailed information on global arms transfers, defense spending, and a range of other military-related topics.
For reasons that remain unclear, last year’s defense spending bill put an end to the report. The State Department published its final edition last month, quietly marking the end of an era in military disclosures.
“At one point in history, the WMEAT report was the model for transparency around the world,” Jeff Abramson of the Arms Control Association said, noting the importance of its Cold War-era origins.
Of course, the report wasn’t perfect. Experts say WMEAT tended to overcount military sales in misleading ways, among other things. But its demise is part of a larger shift away from transparency in military affairs, according to experts who spoke with Responsible Statecraft. In recent years, civil society has lost access to some of the most detailed information about which American weapons are being exported, where they’re going, and how they’re being used — crucial gaps given that U.S. companies account for almost 40 percent of global arms exports.
Where are our weapons going? US transparency is taking a nosedive
Just FYI I will give the list of what we are sending to Ukraine…..I would give a link but NO would bother to read it is….
Here you go…..
• Over 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft systems;
• Over 8,500 Javelin anti-armor systems;
• Over 37,000 other anti-armor systems;
• Over 700 Switchblade Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems;
• 142 155mm Howitzers and up to 903,000 155mm artillery rounds;
• 3,000 precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds;
• 7,000 155mm rounds of Remote Anti-Armor Mine (RAAM) Systems;
• 36 105mm Howitzers and 180,000 105mm artillery rounds;
• 276 Tactical Vehicles to tow weapons;
• 22 Tactical Vehicles to recover equipment;
• 38 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and ammunition;
• 20 120mm mortar systems and 115,000 120mm mortar rounds;
• 1,500 Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles;
• Four Command Post vehicles;
• Eight National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) and munitions;
• High-speed Anti-radiation missiles (HARMs);
• 20 Mi-17 helicopters;
• Hundreds of Armored High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs);
• 44 trucks and 88 trailers to transport heavy equipment;
• 200 M113 Armored Personnel Carriers;
• 440 MaxxPro Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles;
• Mine clearing equipment and systems;
• Over 10,000 grenade launchers and small arms;
• Over 62,000,000 rounds of small arms ammunition;
• Over 75,000 sets of body armor and helmets;
• Approximately 700 Phoenix Ghost Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems;
• Laser-guided rocket systems;
• Puma Unmanned Aerial Systems;
• 15 Scan Eagle Unmanned Aerial Systems;
• Two radars for Unmanned Aerial Systems;
• Unmanned Coastal Defense Vessels;
• Over 50 counter-artillery radars;
• Over 50 counter-artillery radars;
• Four counter-mortar radars;
• 20 multi-mission radars;
• Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems;
• Ten air surveillance radars;
• Two harpoon coastal defense systems;
• 18 coastal and riverine patrol boats;
• M18A1 Claymore anti-personnel munitions;
• C-4 explosives, demolition munitions, and demolition equipment for obstacle clearing;
• Obstacle emplacement equipment;
• Tactical secure communications systems;
• Thousands of night vision devices, surveillance systems, thermal imagery systems, optics, and laser rangefinders;
• Commercial satellite imagery services;
• Explosive ordnance disposal equipment and protective gear;
• Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear protective equipment;
• 100 armored medical treatment vehicles;
• Medical supplies to include first aid kits, bandages, monitors, and other equipment;
• Electronic jamming equipment;
• Field equipment, cold weather gear, and spare parts;
• Funding for training, maintenance, and sustainment.
And none of this includes the ‘aid’ that our so-called allies are sending as well.
And yet Zelensky demands…..Ukraine demands new air defense system. (Demands?)
There is where your tax dollars are going….not to worry Taiwan will soon join this long list…..and yet more cash will disappear from the treasury with the approval of BOTH parties.
Screw that!
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
