Through an accounting error, the Pentagon overestimated the value of the security aid it has sent to Ukraine in its fight against Russia, according to several news reports.
The error was an overestimation by $3 billion, which Defense officials attributed to a mistake over using cost estimates based on new equipment rather than the older versions delivered to Ukraine.
Essentially, Pentagon officials used replacement cost to value the weapons rather than the value of the weapons through purchase and depreciation.
The mistake was discovered in March after an internal security audit and congressional lawmakers were briefed on the issue on Thursday.
House Armed Services chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) and House Foreign Affairs chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) blasted the Pentagon for the mistake.
“The revelation of a three-billion-dollar accounting error discovered two months ago and only today shared with Congress is extremely problematic,” they wrote in a joint statement.
“These funds could have been used for extra supplies and weapons for the upcoming counteroffensive, instead of rationing funds to last for the remainder of the fiscal year,” the chairmen continued.
While the oversight has led to questions, it also means there are more U.S. dollars for Ukraine than previously believed as questions mount over whether security aid is drying up.
Washington approved $113 billion for Ukraine in 2022, about $47 billion of which is directly related to providing Ukraine with defense needs.
The Defense Department said earlier this month it has spent about $36.9 billion so far on Ukraine’s security, either through replenishment of equipment stockpiles sent to Ukraine, purchase of weapons or direct funding for training or other means.
It’s unclear if the error has already been accounted for in that estimate.
The advanced western weaponry from the U.S. and allies has contributed to many of Ukraine’s successes on the battlefield and over the skies.
This week, the U.S.-made Patriot air defense system thwarted off the brunt of Russian missile attacks, which Kyiv has hailed as a major victory.
