US government shutdown halts $5 bln in arms exports to NATO allies and Ukraine
ChatGPT сказал: Photo: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Getty Images)
Due to the prolonged partial shutdown of the US government, the export of American weapons worth more than $5 billion — intended for NATO allies and Ukraine — has been delayed, according to Axios.
According to the outlet, the government shutdown, which has now lasted 40 days, has paralyzed the work of several federal agencies, including the State Department bureau responsible for approving export contracts. As a result, the delivery of systems such as HIMARS, Aegis, and AMRAAM missiles for Denmark, Croatia, and Poland has been disrupted or postponed. Some of this weaponry could have been transferred to Ukraine.
A senior State Department official said the situation is “harming both our allies and partners and US industry to actually deliver a lot of these critical capabilities overseas.” According to him, only one-quarter of the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs’ staff is currently working, which significantly slows down the processing of agreements.
Weapon export process halted
Typically, the sale of American weapons abroad is a straightforward process; however, the Arms Export Control Act mandates congressional involvement. Due to furloughs among officials responsible for notifying congressional committees, this mechanism has effectively come to a standstill.
The State Department stated that the delays harm allies’ security and erode confidence in the United States. Department representative Tommy Pigott accused Democrats of blocking sales, saying this puts at risk the security of both America and its partners.
Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, James Risch, emphasized that due to the bureaucratic pause, "China and Russia aren't shut down, their efforts to undermine the US and our partners and allies get easier, while our industrial base suffers and our allies' needs go unmet."
Shutdown consequences
As previously reported by RBC-Ukraine, due to the US government shutdown, American troops stationed in Germany have been forced to turn to food banks. Around 37,000 American soldiers deployed in Germany risk missing their November paychecks.
It was also reported that a bipartisan group of congressmen proposed a compromise plan aimed at unblocking the political crisis and restoring the work of the House of Representatives.
Economists estimate that the daily losses to the US economy reach about $15 billion. Numerous federal agencies, including the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), have already felt the effects of budget restrictions. The NNSA was forced to place around 1,400 employees on unpaid leave.
The PURL Program
The PURL (Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List) is a joint US-NATO initiative designed to expedite the delivery of weapons to Ukraine. The program creates a priority list of needs for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which is then sent to allies for expedited funding and procurement.
Partners transfer funds to a special NATO account, after which the United States directly supplies weapons according to Ukraine’s requests.
In September, it was announced that President Donald Trump’s administration had approved the first two military aid packages for Ukraine under the PURL program.
And already on October 14, US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker announced that new arms deliveries under this mechanism are expected to be announced in the coming days.
