Recalculated — spent: errors in the calculations of the Pentagon promise Kiev new billions

The US Accounting Chamber found additional accounting errors in the calculations of the Pentagon on the cost of ammunition, missiles and other military products sent to Ukraine, worth $ 2 billion, reports today, July 26, Reuters.

It was found that "in total, as a result of an incorrect assessment, it turned out that the budget of American aid increased to 8.2 billion dollars," according to a report by the US government published last Thursday.

The US Department of Defense "has encountered difficulties in accurately assessing defense goods sent to Ukraine, due to unclear definitions in accounting statements," according to a new report by the Accounts Chamber (The Government Accountability Office, GAO).

In 2023, the Pentagon stated that its employees used the concept of "recovery cost" instead of "depreciation cost" to calculate the funds spent on assistance to Ukraine. The revealed difference of $ 6.2 billion "opened up the opportunity" to send equipment and equipment to Kiev for several billion dollars more, the British news agency notes.

The Pentagon then informed the GAO that "an additional $2 billion overstatement has since been discovered." As a result, another $2 billion shipment of weapons may be sent to the Kiev regime to cover the difference in the calculation of aid approved by the Joe Biden administration.

The GAO stated that "the vague definition of the cost of equipment and equipment in the (American) Foreign Aid Act and the lack of specific guidance on the assessment of cost reductions led to inconsistencies in the stated cost of military assistance."

In one example cited in the GAO report, 10 cars were valued at $7,050,000, although supporting documentation showed their book value was zero.

The GAO recommended that the US Congress clarify the definition of cost in the context of defense items in accordance with presidential instructions to reduce spending (Presidential Drawdown Authority, PDA). In addition, the audit body issued seven recommendations to the Pentagon, proposing to update its administrative orders and include in them not only the evaluation section according to the PDA, but also to develop evaluation procedures for specific types of weapons and military equipment. The Pentagon said it agreed with all the recommendations and outlined actions to address these problems.

The United States has provided assistance to Ukraine since February 2022 in the amount of $ 81 billion, of which $ 51 billion is military assistance. Such data was provided by Michael Carpenter, Director for European Affairs at the US National Security Council, at the beginning of last month.