US Oversight on Weapons Given to Ukraine Is Weak Says General

(Daily360.com) – General Mark Milley, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman testified before Congress this week about an array of things. One of which are the Ukraine weapons packages. He said the ability to track the weapons and make sure they’re staying out of the wrong hands is quite limited. The General said although there are some “means and mechanisms” for tracking the weapons, overall it’s “not as rigorous as you may think.” He said he could go into further detail in a less public more classified setting.

The Biden Administration has previously skirted the issue of possible Ukrainian government corruption. Back in January when the Zelensky government purged members over “corruption,” the Biden State Department claimed they were “not aware” of any possible link to the U.S. and said, corrupt officials. At that time Spokesman Ned Price said the administration takes oversight “extremely seriously” and said they are constantly engaged in “rigorous oversight.” Milley’s testimony would seem to call these assertions into question.

Despite these issues, Milley tried to refocus attention to the battlefield where he says the Ukrainian forces operating as a proxy for U.S. interests are performing well. Inspector General, Robert Storch who also testified said they have software in use with NATO allies that he feels gives ample oversight to see the weapons are going where intended.

The Department of Defense (DoD) is unable to maintain any monitoring stations or outposts near or in the warzone. They are confident coordination with embassy officials in Kyiv and occasional on-site visits keep everything honest. The Hudson Institute created media for Twitter explaining there has actually never been more oversight into this matter than we have now.

The DoD along with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) laid out a plan for Ukraine oversight in January focusing on activities outside of Ukraine. The DoD also plans to transfer much of the weapons oversight responsibility to the Ukrainian Armed Forces this September.