U.S. Readies $2 Billion-Plus Ukraine Aid Package With Longer-Range Weapons -Sources

[TheProle]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by JudyM (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: U.S. News and World Report

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is readying more than $2 billion worth of military aid for Ukraine that is expected to include longer-range rockets for the first time and other munitions and weapons, two U.S. officials briefed on the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.

The weapons aid is expected to be announced as soon as later this week, the officials said. It is also expected to include support equipment for Patriot air defense systems, precision guided munitions and Javelin anti-tank weapons, they added.

One of the officials said that a portion of the package, $1.725 billion, would come from a fund known as the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which allows President Joe Biden's administration to get weapons from industry rather than from existing U.S. weapons stocks.

The USAI funds would go toward the purchase of a new weapon, Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB), which have a range of 94 miles (150 km). The United States has rebuffed requests for the 185-mile (297-km) range ATACMS missile.

Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2023-01-31/u-s-readies-2-billion-plus-ukraine-aid-package-with-longer-range-weapons-sources

[ananda]

1. Excellent!

We are getting a lot of excellence from President Biden these days,
and from our Dem Congress for standing up to the GQP.

[walkingman]

2. We gotta do it - whatever it takes....

[TomSlick]

3. Ukraine needs the ATACMS.

It is wrong to deny Ukraine the ability to strike the missile, artillery, and drone sites that are killing civilians.

[paleotn]

6. Absolutely correct!

[sprinkleeninow]

4. On a news segment little while ago: ruzzzia destroying Bahkmut. nt/

[paleotn]

5. They need ATACMS. They need the range.

Russia has a significant reach advantage when it comes to standoff weapons and ballistic missiles. GLSDB isn't going to cut it. The Russkies will simply move command, control and supply further back. An inconvenience for the Russians. A critical problem for Ukraine. In for a goddamn penny, in for a mother fucking pound.

What's Russia going to do? Nuke the west? Please.

[LiberalLovinLug]

9. Never understood the "escalation" argument

As I've heard someone else say before....Putin escalated everything by invading Ukraine. That was the escalation. To then have leaders in the West shrink back and make excuses that they don't want to make Putin madder or he might do something is ridiculous.

All Putin understands is force. And no matter how much hand wringing and fantasies about Putin capitulating peacefully, its not going to ever happen. He's already in for the the mf pound himself.

The sooner the West decides to really win this war, the less death and destruction and world economic problems, and the sooner it all ends. No way we can just bow down and let Putin have whatever he wants because he might start a nuclear war.

[Red Mountain]

7. Small diameter bombs are a good incremental approach

forces the Russians to reset their entire supply chain to avoid them......and they're CHEAP......and work with existing MLRS launchers.

ATACMS later. Expensive.

[republianmushroom]

8. like it

[JudyM]

10. Locking after discussion among forum hosts

This is anticipatory news -- since only one announcement is allowed in LBN, and the actual weapons given will be the important news, the formal announcement laying out that info will be a great LBN post. Until then, General Discussion can host any threads about it. Thanks.