White House Expected To Send More Atacms Munitions To Ukraine

The White House is expected to announce as soon as Tuesday that it will send a new package of weapons worth $300 million to Ukraine, and it will include a number of Army Tactical Missile Systems, according to U.S. officials with knowledge of the discussions.

The package will include a number of the Anti-Personnel/Anti-Materiel, or APAM, an older version of the long-range ATACMS, which travels 100 miles and carries warheads containing hundreds of cluster bomblets, according to one of the officials. All were granted anonymity to speak ahead of an announcement.

The tranche will also include additional rounds for the 155mm howitzers and the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, according to that official and one other U.S. official. The U.S. first sent a first shipment of mid-range ATACMS in September.

The news comes as Congress stalls on passing President Joe Biden’s supplemental request that includes additional funding for the war in Ukraine, as well as aid for Israel and Taiwan. The Pentagon has been unable to send additional weapons to Kyiv since December, when it ran out of money to replenish its stocks.

The package will be valued at $300 million, according to two of the officials. Soldiers on the front lines have been running out of ammunition and air defenses as lawmakers bicker over the legislation.

The Pentagon was able to use savings from a previous Army contract for Ukraine weapons, the DOD official said.

While Ukrainians will welcome the new weapons, the latest package is only a temporary solution.

“This is not an alternative path for a supplemental,” said a third DOD official on Friday of the plan to use Army savings for Ukraine.

The pending announcement was first reported by Reuters. The plan to use Army savings was first reported by Bloomberg.