The new command post, called Security Assistance Group Ukraine, marks a more permanent, long-term program to continue helping Kyiv in its fight against Russia, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters at the Pentagon. It will be led by a senior three-star officer and have about 300 people attending the weapons assistance and training programs, said US Army Europe spokesman Col. Martin O’Donnell. The $400 million includes contracts for 1,100 Phoenix Ghost drones, funding to refurbish 45 tanks and an additional 40 riverboats, among other systems, the Pentagon said. The Phoenix Ghost drone is an armed “kamikaze drone” that explodes on contact with its target. The T-72 tanks are drawn from the defense industry’s existing stockpile in the Czech Republic — paid for by the Netherlands — and will have advanced optics, communications and armor packages. They are part of a total package of 90 T-72 tanks to be sent to Ukraine by 2023, the Pentagon said. This package also includes funds to refurbish Hawk surface-to-air missiles so they can be provided to Ukraine to help defend against Iranian drones. READ MORE: How Russian soldiers conducted a ‘cleansing’ operation in Bukha, Ukraine The missile system is no longer used by the US, but the missiles, once refurbished, will give Ukraine another medium-range air defense option, Singh said. The Hawk missiles have a longer range than the Stinger anti-aircraft missiles previously provided by the US. Because the weapons are being procured through the Ukraine Security Initiative, they will not be ready for immediate transfer to Kyiv. Weapons provided through USAI funding are acquired through long-term industrial contracts rather than drawn from the US arms stockpile. The US has committed more than $18.2 billion in weapons and other equipment to Ukraine since the start of the war on February 24. The new command post comes as the US focuses on long-term efforts to improve accountability for the billions of dollars in US weapons that have flowed into Ukraine and ensure they do not fall into the wrong hands. Last week, the State Department outlined how it is trying to prevent some of these more advanced weapons from being looted or falling into Russian hands, but admitted that ensuring weapons accountability is particularly difficult during an active war and when not there is a significant US presence on the ground. . The plan includes limited on-the-ground monitoring by US military personnel, Pentagon Air Force spokesman Gen. Pat Ryder said this week. “When and where security conditions permit, a small team of personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv – Office of the Defense Attaché has conducted multiple inspections of U.S. security assistance deliveries over the past two months at locations in Ukraine,” Ryder said. “These sites are nowhere near the front lines of Russia’s war against Ukraine.”
