OOPS! Pentagon overvalued “military aid” to Ukraine by at least $3 billion

An alleged “accounting mistake” is the reason why United States military aid to Ukraine, which includes weapons and ammunition, was overestimated by at least $3 billion.

Officials at the Pentagon and the Department of Defense (DoD) claim that they made a few oopsies in tabulating the value of all this “aid,” which created discrepancies in the books that are now coming to light.

“During our regular oversight process of presidential drawdown packages, the Department discovered inconsistencies in equipment valuation for Ukraine,” said Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times.

As soon as defense official noticed the “miscalculation,” the DoD Comptroller re-issued guidance clarifying how to properly set equipment values in alignment with Financial Management Regulations and DoD policy. This requires the utilization of “net book value,” ensuring that the most accurate accounting methods are in place.

(Related: According to Russia, the Pentagon is the entity in charge of running Ukraine’s “biowarfare facilities,” which are the target of its “special operation.”)

This little “error” means that Biden can delay having to ask Congress for more cash for Zelensky – how convenient!

According to Singh, the mistake occurred when the Pentagon inadvertently used a higher cost value, or a replacement cost, rather than the weaponry’s actual value when it was purchased and started depreciating.

“In some cases, ‘replacement cost’ rather than ‘net book value’ was used, therefore overestimating the value of the equipment drawn down from U.S. stocks,” Singh explained in the same emailed statement.

“This over-valuation has not constrained our support to Ukraine nor impacted our ability to flow capabilities to the battlefield.”

It is unknown the precise date on which the accounting error was noticed, nor has it been made public which weapons were mistakenly overestimated in value on the books.

Defense officials told The Hill that the Pentagon is still in the process of assessing the overvaluation, but that for now they are going with an estimated minimum of $3 billion – though this figure could, and likely will, rise further in the coming days.

This is great news for the Biden regime and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Because of this “mistake,” Biden’s people might be able to delay having to ask Congress to authorize more “aid” for Ukraine, which Zelensky is expected to welcome “ahead of Ukraine’s much-anticipated counteroffensive.”

Previous to this on May 9, the Biden regime announced that it will be sending another $1.2 billion worth of “military aid” to Ukraine to help bolster its air defenses while adding to its ammunition artillery.

Once that $1.2 billion in aid is disbursed, the total amount that the U.S. under Biden has handed over to Ukraine will amount to $37.6 billion. Of this, $36.9 billion was sent to Ukraine just since Russia’s invasion back in February 2022.

Among the weapons sent by the U.S. to Ukraine are High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers, Javelin anti-tank weapons, and a Patriot surface-to-air missile system.

Several congressional Republicans, upset by the mistake, are now ordering the Biden regime to “make up for this precious lost time” by using the extra money that is now available through the accounting readjustment “to provide Ukraine the DPICMS and ATACMS they need to fuel the counteroffensive and win the war,” these being the exact words used by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Tex.) and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.).

“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,” they further complained about the matter.