A group of U.S. military forces inside Ukraine reportedly launched onsite inspections as part of its efforts to support the country amid its battle with the Russian forces.
In a report released by Defense News on Tuesday, it was revealed that the U.S. forces inspected weapons that were provided by the Western countries including 18 High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and other arms to counter Russian drones to ensure that Ukrainian troops are properly accounting for the said weapons.
During a conference on Monday, a senior U.S. defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide a military update, told Pentagon reporters that there have been several inspections inside Ukraine and that they are by the U.S. Defense attache and the U.S. Office of Defense Cooperation team that is currently in Kyiv.
However, the official did not specify where the inspections are taking place or how close to the battlefronts the U.S. troops are getting, adding that the U.S personnel can’t do inspections “close to the front lines,” but said they are going where security conditions allow.
apparently the idea of “embassy” and “military attache” are unknown to some people. pic.twitter.com/QVuZziN1RK
— streiff (@streiffredstate) November 1, 2022
The source also revealed that the Ukrainian troops are supporting the inspections and are being cooperative and transparent about the weapons’ distribution.
The recent inspection is part of the U.S. officials’ effort to ensure that the weapons provided to Ukraine don’t end up in the hands of Russian troops, their proxies or other extremist groups.
This comes after the Pentagon announced last week that it would contract industry for $1.1 billion in military aid to Ukraine.
According to a senior Pentagon official, the newly committed Lockheed Martin-made HIMARS systems that will be used to target Russian supplies are intended to be a “core component of Ukraine’s fighting force in the future.”
The official also revealed that Ukraine already received 16 HIMARS from U.S. military stockpiles and 10 equivalent systems from western allies early this year.
“This is a really sizable investment, and it’s intended so that down the road, Ukraine will have what it needs for the long haul, to deter future threats. But it in no way rules out us continuing to invest in their current force with capabilities that are available today and that we can draw down today from U.S. stocks,” the official said.
