DOD tells Republicans ‘no evidence’ that weapons for UKR are being diverted

Source: Politico | February 28, 2023 | Connor O’Brien

Pentagon tells Republicans ‘no evidence’ that weapons for Ukraine are being diverted

DoD’s top policy official also says sending F-16s, if approved, would take at least 18 months.

Top Pentagon officials on Tuesday told lawmakers they’re confident weapons being sent to Ukraine are being used for their desired purpose and aren’t being smuggled to the black market, a major concern among some Republicans.

The testimony of the Pentagon’s policy chief and internal watchdog came in a House Armed Services hearing on U.S. support to Ukraine as Republicans make a push to ramp up open oversight of billions in aid to Kyiv.

Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl told the panel that the Pentagon assesses that Ukrainian forces “are using properly what they’ve been given.”

“What we’re not seeing is any evidence of significant diversion,” Kahl told lawmakers. “Our assessment is if some of these systems have been diverted it’s by Russians who have captured things on the battlefield, which always happens, but that there’s no evidence the Ukrainians are diverting it to the black market.”

He added that Ukraine is “clearly using what we are providing them … to maximum effect” and are requesting more weapons.

At the same time, Kahl pushed back on bipartisan calls to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighters, the latest flashpoint between President Joe Biden and Congress on the conflict.

The Armed Services session is the first such public hearing devoted to U.S. military support to Ukraine. Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) wants to intensify high-level public oversight of aid to show that weapons and equipment are going where they’re intended.

Top Democrats and Republicans are aiming to preserve the bipartisan bloc that’s successfully enacted more than $100 billion in emergency aid since Russia launched its full-tilt invasion in February 2022 in a freshly split Congress.

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