War in Ukraine highlights problems with some US weapons systems

WASHINGTON (DT) — It's been two years since Russia invaded Ukraine, and since the start of the war, serious flaws in US weapons systems have been exposed.

One area of ​​struggle is electronic warfare, particularly precision weapons such as GMLRS rockets and Excalibur artillery. Due to Russia's ability to jam the GPS navigation systems used to guide missiles and shells to their targets, the success rate of Excalibur shells fell below 10% before the Ukrainian military stopped used them last year.

Another issue concerns the capabilities of drones, particularly when it comes to monitoring troops on the battlefield. The Pentagon is working to improve its ability to deploy drones to support troops and eliminate enemy drones by designating a separate drone branch of the military.

While the war showed that many U.S. weapons systems are better than those of other countries, it also highlighted a problem of quantity. The United States is accustomed to smaller-scale conflicts, but the war in Ukraine is more like World War I, where the military fired tens of thousands of artillery shells.

The United States has been a major financial support system for Ukraine since the start of the war. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, over the past two years, Congress has passed five bills – the most recent in April – totaling $175 billion. However, only $107 billion goes directly to the Ukrainian government.

Much of the money is spent here in the United States on American factories and workers who make the weapons that are shipped to Ukraine or used to replenish the weapons stockpile that the Pentagon has drawn on.

It is important to mention that supplemental programs like the five that Congress passed essentially provide additional funds to funds and obligations already appropriated during the year.

Ukraine has become by far the largest recipient of American aid. According to the most recent data available – from 2020 to 2022 – Israel comes second on the list, receiving just under $10 billion in aid from the United States. The United States also provided significant aid to Afghanistan ($6.8 billion), Jordan ($5.4 billion), Ethiopia ($4.9 billion), and Egypt ($4.3 billion). billions of dollars)