US Aid to Ukraine Damages Internal Military Stock

Wednesday, November 23, 2022

Lucas Leiroz, researcher in Social Sciences at the Rural Federal University of Rio de Janeiro; geopolitical consultant.

According to recent reports, the US government is spending large amounts of money to replenish its stocks of weapons due to the constant sending of aid to Ukraine. It is estimated that over 2.6 billion dollars has been spent so far. Adding these values ​​to the financial aid packages, it is possible to say that the support to the Ukrainian neo-Nazi regime is becoming economically unfeasible for the US.

Pentagon spent more than 2 billion dollars to replenish stocks between May and October. The money is drawn from the aid funds which the government has allocated months ago to support Kiev. The products which required the most investment in restocking were, as expected, rockets, drones and ammunition, which are military equipment used intensively during combat engagements and does quickly run out. According to Douglas Bush, US Army Undersecretary for Acquisitions, Logistics and Technology, the velocity of recent Pentagon’s contracts for new weapons acquisitions exceeds the department’s normal standards by about 15 percent.

Bush, however, sees the situation as positive. He evaluates well the operational capacity of the agile process of sending aid to allies and replenishing stocks. Referring to the government’s award to encourage the defense industry, he said: “This award enables us to replenish our own inventory while providing critical capabilities for our allies and international partners (…) We remain committed to getting things on contract as quickly as possible to ensure our stocks are rapidly replenished”.

The undersecretary’s position reflects the general thinking of many American officials, who are used to the old bellicose logic of fostering a constant “war capitalism”, in which combat situations are purposely created and encouraged around the world, thus promoting the defense and propaganda industries. This operational logic has guided much of American foreign policy since the end of the Cold War – and it seems really far from over, considering recent events.

Other Pentagon’s pronouncements reaffirm this solid stance of encouraging as much as possible the policy of sending aid to Ukraine since guaranteeing immediate replenishment. For example, commenting on the government’s money invested in defense industry, US Army’s spokespeople said in a recent statement: “The delivery will increase production capacity to allow the U.S. government to more rapidly replenish Department of Defense stocks provided in support of Ukrainian armed forces”.

However, analyzing the American situation more broadly, it is possible to perceive that this calculation seems outdated, not adapting to the current context. American military expenses are progressively increasing as the country is going through a serious social crisis, with the intensification of internal tensions and rising costs of living for the population. Investing in defense and militarization has always been an interesting tactic to overcome moments of crisis, as long as the military benefits are really turned to national security, which is not the case now, since the US is investing in the military industry to supply a country abroad and maintain a proxy war against Russia.

Although the military-industrial complex is benefiting from the situation, the American people are not sharing in the profits of this industry, only paying for this irrational policy. US taxes are used in aid funds for Kiev with which the Pentagon signs contracts with military companies. The weapons received are immediately sent to Ukraine and then new replacement contracts are signed – with money from taxpayers. There is not even investment in military technology, innovation, and modernization of weapons, just a cycle of emptying and restoring the current reserves. This vicious cycle has no end and only benefits American industrialists and Ukrainian neo-Nazis.

Faced with the current American problems, the most prudent thing would be for the government to stop its incentives to the Pentagon and redirect funds to the promotion of social policies that generate real benefits for the American people. The “war is profit” logic no longer seems to make sense in the current global context, as the US is increasingly losing its hegemonic status and dealing with emerging powers eager to guarantee its international interests.

In addition, with the growing de-dollarization process in international trade, it will become more and more difficult for the White House to maintain excessive spending policies for futile reasons, as is the current case with Ukraine, which is why preventive measures should already be being taken.

The best Washington can do is to rapidly replenish its stocks and then cut off all form of military aid to Kiev, investing the taxpayers’ money in public policies, broad industrialization, and infrastructure projects, as well as in cooperation schemes with Europe, since EU will have many problems during the winter due to its adherence to American sanctions. The interests of the people must be prioritized over those of the military-industrial complex.

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Source: InfoBrics