AP reports the error was caused when officials wrongly used valuation for new equipment, rather than for used equipment drawn from U.S. stocks, to assess the cost of weapons already despatched to the war zone.
The poor accounting methodology has been exposed as the Pentagon faces increased pressure by Congress to show accountability for the billions of dollars it has sent in weapons, ammunition, equipment, and training to Ukraine and as some lawmakers question whether that level of support is sustainable, as Breitbart News reported.
In many of the military aid packages, the Pentagon has opted to drain stockpiles of older, existing gear because it can get those items to Ukraine faster. Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh addressed the financial mess by saying:
During our regular oversight process of presidential drawdown packages, the Department discovered inconsistencies in equipment valuation for Ukraine.She added the mistake hasn't constrained U.S. support to Ukraine or hampered the ability to send aid to the battlefield.
In some cases, 'replacement cost' rather than 'net book value' was used, therefore overestimating the value of the equipment drawn down from U.S. stocks.
According to the AP report, a defense official said the Pentagon is still trying to determine exactly how much the total surplus will be.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said the comptroller has asked the military services to review all previous Ukraine aid packages using the proper cost figures.
The result, said the official, will be that the department will have more available funding authority to use as the Ukraine offensive nears.
The aid surplus was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
To date the U.S. has provided Ukraine nearly $37 billion in military aid since Russia invaded in February 2022.
The rush of U.S. weapons to Ukraine has already sparked a warning that domestic military stockpiles have been pushed to "dangerously low levels" not seen for decades, as Breitbart News reported.
Follow Simon Kent on Twitter: Follow @SunSimonKent or e-mail to: skent@breitbart.com
Comment: Thus is Russia demilitarizing the West. To date, Russia has now destroyed three separate NATO-supplied armies. It will take years, ifnot decades, for the West to replace those 'stockpiles of older, existing gear' as it has methodically gutted its industrial capacity. In the meantime, the rest of the multipolar world will move on, trading and prospering with each other. Those Ruskies are pretty clever, eh?