 Defense &
National Security |
Defense &
National Security |
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Pentagon says no signs of systemic misuse of US equipment |
House lawmakers on Tuesday pressed the Defense Department on how U.S. officials are managing oversight of security assistance to Ukraine, raising concerns about corruption in Kyiv and weapons being diverted onto the international black market. |
Colin Kahl, the Pentagon's under secretary of Defense for policy, told the House Armed Services Committee there was no "evidence of diversion" of the billions of dollars in U.S. assistance supporting Ukraine against a Russian invasion. "We think the Ukrainians are using properly what they've been given," Kahl said. Congress approved $113 billion in emergency assistance for Ukraine last year. The $67 billion for defense-related spending has included an array of weapons, including Javelin missile launchers, Stinger missiles, 155 millimeter artillery shells and High Mobile Artillery Rocket Systems. The Pentagon is able to track the equipment going to Kyiv through scanners provided to the Ukrainians and a software inventory database used by NATO, Kahl said. There are also about a dozen officials at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine for certain on-site visits. But the Pentagon's lead watchdog, Inspector General Robert Storch, pointed to an October report from his agency that acknowledges challenges in oversight because of a small number of available U.S. personnel in Ukraine. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) slammed Storch after the U.S. watchdog official said they were continuing to look at the issue through a number of ongoing projects auditing federal agencies. "You cannot testify that everything is complying with the law in end-use monitoring," Gaetz said. "If you could testify to that, you would." |
Welcome to The Hill's Defense & National Security newsletter, I'm Brad Dress — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. |
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Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) on Tuesday said Congress should not cut defense spending but instead increase it as necessary to meet threats posed by Russia and China. McConnell made clear that he does not favor freezing the Pentagon's budget or slowing its growth to less than the rate of inflation as part of any deficit reduction package that House Republicans may attempt to attach to debt-limit legislation. … |
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| Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Monday called the Biden administration's decision to withhold F-16 fighter jets from Ukraine "beyond disappointing." "President Biden's recent statement ruling out F-16 fighters for Ukraine in the short term, based on advice from the Department of Defense, is beyond disappointing," Graham said in a statement. "It has been like pulling teeth with this Administration to get every weapons system … |
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Editor’s note: Rep. Mark Takano (D) represents California in the House. The information was incorrect in an earlier version of this story. Two Democratic lawmakers introduced a bill on Tuesday that would cap attorney fees for claims made by victims of water contamination at a North Carolina military base in an attempt to weed out “bad actors.” Reps. Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.) and Mark Takano (Calif.) have proposed … |
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Upcoming things we're watching on our beat: |
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Branch out with a different read from The Hill: |
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Senate Intel leaders say Gang of Eight briefing on classified documents 'left much to be desired' |
The top Democrat and Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee said Tuesday's briefing on on the classified materials seized at President Biden's home and office and former President Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate "left much to be desired." The Gang of Eight, the top four leaders in Congress and … |
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Events in and around the defense world: |
- The International Institute for Strategic Studies talks U.S.-China relations and the Indo-Pacific region at 4:30 p.m. during an event in Washington, D.C.
- The United States Institute For Peace discusses a year of the Russia-Ukraine war for a Q&A event at 10 a.m. in D.C.
- The Center for Strategic and International Studies hosts a virtual event on the "Humanitarian Dilemma in Afghanistan" at 10 a.m.
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News we've flagged from other outlets: |
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Two key stories on The Hill right now: |
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House Republicans are pumping the brakes on the release of Jan. 6 surveillance footage they've offered to Fox News host Tucker Carlson and going on … Read more |
| The high-stakes battle over President Biden's student debt relief plan reached the Supreme Court on Tuesday, with each justice giving a glimpse into … Read more |
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You're all caught up. See you tomorrow! |
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