Drivers load Bradley Fighting Vehicles onto a ship in North Charleston, S.C., Jan. 25, 2023. Weapons systems sent to Ukraine, such as the Bradleys, Patriot missiles and Abrams tanks, could eventually be rendered useless because the Pentagon didn't provide a maintenance plan for Ukrainian troops, according to a Defense Department Inspector General report. (Oz Suguitan/U.S. Transportation Command)
STUTTGART, Germany — Big-ticket weapons systems sent to Ukraine could be rendered useless on the battlefield because the Pentagon lacks a plan for Ukrainian troops to maintain them, according to a Defense Department watchdog agency report, which also warned that sustaining Kyiv’s armored vehicles could harm the U.S. Army’s own combat readiness.
“The lack of foresight in this matter is concerning, and should be rectified promptly,” Inspector General Robert Storch said in a statement Tuesday, adding that the department is developing a plan now.
But the oversight on keeping functional equipment such as Patriot interceptors, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, Strykers and Abrams tanks puts at risk Ukraine’s ability to effectively fight Russia and also complicates the U.S. military’s own combat preparedness, the IG said.
One senior Army official told the IG that continued reliance on existing U.S. Army stocks “may require a choice between continued support for Ukraine and meeting the minimum readiness requirements for U.S. Army units,” the IG report said.
Not having maintenance requirements for the weapons systems it provides to Ukraine prevents DOD from predicting costs or assessing the impacts for U.S. military units that also operate these systems, Storch said.
As a result, the Pentagon may need to commit more resources “at significant cost” to U.S. taxpayers or risk the ability to perform other U.S. missions, the report said.
The IG issued joint reports Tuesday, one detailing problems associated with hundreds of armored vehicles issued to Ukraine and another examining issues related to Patriot air defense systems provided.
The reports concluded that without an effective sustainment strategy, Ukraine’s military won’t develop the knowledge base to maintain the equipment. That means it won’t be able to use the hardware once U.S. sustainment support ends, the IG said.
The finding comes amid uncertainty about the durability of American political support for defending Ukraine from Russia, given the ongoing political disagreements in Washington about the merits of continuing to send billions of dollars in arms to Kyiv.
The funding logjam in Washington has halted delivery of new U.S. weaponry to Ukraine, which is now on the defensive as a larger Russian force gains new ground on the battlefield.
Under such circumstances, ensuring the lasting capability of systems already delivered is likely to be a major priority for Ukraine.
As of January, DOD had still not developed or implemented sustainment plans for the Patriot systems and the hundreds of armored vehicles provided to Ukraine, according to the IG.
The IG issued multiple recommendations for each of the weapons systems, including that an action plan be developed in the coming weeks to deal with the issue.
The Defense Department generally concurred with the findings.
