Weapon thieves in Ukraine and the Pentagon’s lack of oversight
Hudson Crozier
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A newly released Defense Department report reaffirms massive concerns about the nature of American involvement in the war in Ukraine. It turns out that gangs, arms traffickers, and even criminals controlled by Russia have gotten hold of Ukrainian weapons, including on the front lines.
The partially redacted document does not specify the origin of the weapons. The Pentagon might not know either because it has been unable to adequately perform “end-use monitoring,” the process required by law to trace the usage of weapons sent abroad. The October 2022 report, only disclosed in the past few days through records requests, highlights this lack of oversight. Though the Ukrainian government appears to have caught the thieves in these instances, we can only guess what has happened since October.
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Republicans might want to use this to continue demanding better oversight. The debate over whether to keep sending resources fundamentally changes if we must also consent to criminals receiving them.
But then we run into a deeper problem. The report blames the inability to track weapons on a lack of United States presence in Ukraine. End-use monitoring “is reliant on in-person monitoring,” it says. Skepticism of American involvement in the war is valid, but not in the way some think it is.
President Joe Biden says he wants to stay out of direct conflict with Russia.
That line is already getting blurrier every day, and he wants to avoid bringing more controversy with more escalations. But he also wants total victory for Ukraine and considers his “unwavering support” vital to that goal. The Pentagon’s stake in the war is so ambitious that the defense secretary has even said, “Ukraine is going to decide what victory’s going to look like.”
In order to have its cake and eat it too, America is resorting to half-hearted involvement.
Biden hopes he can toss over enough money and weapons, and Ukraine will become the sophisticated war machine it needs to be against its massive enemy. On multiple fronts, that strategy is proving to be dysfunctional. Kyiv’s ongoing counteroffensive is struggling to deliver, largely due to a lack of training in the military, raising the possibility of a stalemate.
Historically riddled with arms trafficking and corruption, keeping weapons out of the wrong hands is another thing Ukraine struggles to do on its own. It’s doubtful that the Pentagon knows the full extent of the problem.
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By pledging such a heavy investment in this war and refusing to settle, Biden has put America in a tough spot. He may have to choose between more U.S. presence in Ukraine or too much trust, both of which should be considered unacceptable.
Hudson Crozier is a summer 2023 Washington Examiner fellow.