On Wednesday, the Pentagon would convene a classified meeting with the leaders of the biggest American military contractors on Wednesday to discuss stepped-up assistance to Ukraine, including ways to improve air defense, anti-ship missiles, and weapons to find and destroy russian artillery.
This was reported by The New York Times.
According to the Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, the leaders of the eight major military contractors will attend the meeting, including Raytheon Technologies and Lockheed Martin Corp, which jointly produce Javelins, while Raytheon also makes Stingers. Other top weapons makers are Boeing Co, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, and L3Harris Technologies.
According to the publication, Washington’s $1.7 billion in assistance to Ukraine since the start of russia’s invasion, including the provision of thousands of Stingers and Javelin missiles, has forced American military contractors to step up production of older weapons systems, both for Ukraine’s need and to replenish the United States military’s stocks.
According to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, US officials are having regular meetings with Ukrainian officials and its allies to review specific requests related to Ukraine, including artillery shells and other ammunition among the most pressing needs.
“The Pentagon is considering Ukraine’s requests for more advanced weapons to “give them a little more range and distance,” Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks told reporters Tuesday.
Lend-lease for Ukraine: United States take extraordinary step in military supply
Now, according to The New York Times, the Pentagon is investigating which additional long-range weapons and ammunition to provide Ukraine with, as they want to make sure Kyiv receives everything they need, including artillery shells. Also, resupplying as well as planning for a longer war is expected to be discussed at the meeting on Wednesday.
The Pentagon officials spoke to The New York Times on the condition of anonymity that the meeting will focus on the five key areas: air defense, anti-ship missiles, weapons to find and destroy russian artillery, including Claymore mines, demining and land clearance, and counter-battery warfare.
The United States and Ukraine are discussing a new package of military aid, which will take into account the specifics of the planned russian offensive in eastern and southern Ukraine.