Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday he’s “optimistic” Congress will take action on the pending supplemental with further aid for Ukraine, while adding that Kyiv’s “survival is in danger” in its fight against Russia’s ongoing invasion.
“I am optimistic that we will see some action [on the supplemental] moving forward. But, again, this is a thing that you can’t absolutely predict and we’ll continue to work closely with Congress and our international partners to ensure that Ukraine receives the support it needs,” Austin said during a briefing following the 20th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
Following the UDCG meeting, which once again brought together senior defense officials from around 50 countries to discuss security assistance efforts, Austin lauded international partners’ “unity and resolve” in continuing to support Ukraine while urging passage of the supplemental.
“Today, Ukraine’s survival is in danger and America’s security is at risk. And [Ukraine] doesn’t have a day to waste and we don’t have a day to spare either. So I leave here today fully determined to keep U.S. security assistance and ammunition flowing, and that’s a matter of survival and sovereignty for Ukraine and it’s a matter of honor and security for America,” Austin said. “Of course, they need munitions. They need support in order to continue to be able to do that. And, of course, that’s where the supplemental comes in. And we certainly would hope that we would see the supplemental get passed soon.”
The Senate in February passed its $95.3 billion supplemental bill, which includes $60 billion to continue supporting Ukraine, while Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has yet to bring the bill up for consideration on the House floor (Defense Daily, Feb. 13).
The Pentagon has exhausted replenishment funds to restock supplies of weapons provided to Ukraine, while Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks noted last week the department still has $10 billion worth of equipment it has yet to backfill.
“We don’t foresee a likely alternative outside of the supplemental funding or having that money added into an appropriation bill in order to achieve the replenishment that we need. So, we are absolutely laser-focused right now on making the case to the American people about the need for that supplemental, about the $50 billion roughly of investment that flows back to the U.S. economy and supports businesses, large and small, throughout the country,” Hicks said during a press briefing on the department’s FY ‘25 budget request.
Austin also provided an update on the new Capability Coalitions focused on near and long-term support for Ukraine, announcing he convened the first meeting of the coalitions’ leaders on Tuesday.
“Our aim is to help Ukraine build a combat-credible force for the long haul. The capability coalitions will let Ukraine’s friends coordinate our support for years to come. And they create a coherent, nimble and sustained approach to Ukraine’s long-term security,” Austin told reporters. “That meeting infused even more unity of effort and purpose across these eight coalitions. More than a dozen allies leading one or more of the capability coalitions gathered to discuss our progress and coordinate the way ahead for cross-cutting issues.”
Following last month’s UDCG meeting, Austin confirmed that 30 countries are either leading or participating in the new coalitions that are based around capabilities for Ukraine’s air forces, air defense, artillery maritime security, armor, information technology, de-mining and drone (Defense Daily, Feb. 20).
“The United States is grateful to Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and the United Kingdom. They have all stepped up to lead the capability coalitions and to commit resources and personnel to this critical task. And their leadership is a testament to the unity and resolve at Ramstein today,” Austin said on Tuesday.
Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told reporters on Monday he could be open to boosting the fiscal year 2025 defense topline above the one percent spending cap from last year’s debt limit deal if Congress is unable to pass the pending supplemental with foreign aid and funds to replenish the Pentagon’s weapon stockpiles (Defense Daily, March 18).
“We have to pass the supplemental legislation. We have to give [Ukraine] literally the weapons, the artillery, the ammunition to do the job,” Reed said on Monday. “The Ukrainians have to have the confidence that they’re going to have fairly consistent financial and military support, so they can design [their] strategy. It’s one thing to be talking about holding a line and making an offensive operation. But if the question is, ‘Will we have any ammunition to do that,’ that defeats a lot of your planning.