Pentagon’s “End-of-Year” Wishlist for Ukraine’s Military Falls Far Short

Update on Russian military operations in and around Ukraine for December 23, 2022:

– US prepares a 1.85 billion USD aid package for Ukraine;

– Package includes Patriot missile battery;

– Western media notes Ukraine’s use of Patriot missiles will compound existing missile shortage;

– Package falls short in terms of artillery ammunition;

– Pentagon contracts for additional ammunition for Ukraine’s Soviet-era weapon systems falls far short of meeting Ukraine’s weekly requirements let alone what it will require over the next month or year;

– Pentagon provides a “fact sheet” listing all support the US has provided since Russia’s special military operation began in late February;

– Many systems on the Pentagon’s end-of-year list cannot be replaced nor production ramped up for years to come;

– Russia’s military appears prepared for long-term, intense, large-scale combat, it’s forces arrayed for such fighting, its stockpiles large enough to supply it, hinting at the possibility Russia’s military industrial output is also prepared to sustain it.

References:

US Department of Defence – $1.85 Billion in Additional Security Assistance for Ukraine Dec. 21, 2022:
https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases…

US DoD – Fact Sheet on (total) U.S. Security Assistance to Ukraine (as of December 21, 2022):
https://media.defense.gov/2022/Dec/21…

The New Atlas – US to Send Patriot Missiles to Ukraine, CNN Says…:
https://youtu.be/4LCXKve29wg

Guardian – Providing US Patriot missiles could transform Ukraine’s defences. But it’s a move with risks:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentis…

Alexander Mercouris – Russia Bakhmut Advances, Zelensky US Trip Achieves Nothing, Putin Announces Massive Rearmament:
https://youtu.be/TeeJo7Ui0jg

Camden News – Lockheed Martin accelerates production of PAC-3 MSE:
https://www.camdenarknews.com/news/20…

TIME – What Can a U.S.-Supplied Patriot Missile System Do for Ukraine?:
https://time.com/6241373/us-supplies-…

Raytheon Missiles & Defense – Excalibur Projectile:
https://www.raytheonmissilesanddefens…