The Pentagon on Tuesday claimed that an “accounting error” has freed up an additional $6.2 billion to spend on military aid for Ukraine.
Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters that weapons sent to Ukraine from US military stockpiles using the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) were overvalued by using the cost to replace the arms rather than the depreciated value.
“In a significant number of cases, services used replacement costs rather than net book value, thereby overestimating the value of the equipment drawn down from US stocks and provided to Ukraine,” Singh said.
Reports first surfaced in May that said the Pentagon may have overvalued weapons it was sending to Ukraine. At the time, the estimate was that the error would account for at least $3 billion in new funds for Ukraine, which has more than doubled.
Singh said that for the 2023 fiscal year, the Pentagon overvalued weapons by $3.6 billion. In the 2022 fiscal year, it was $2.6 billion. “These valuation errors in no way limit or restricted the size of any of our PDAs or impacted the provision of support to Ukraine,” she said.
The additional funds mean that the White House might not need to ask Congress to authorize more spending on Ukraine before the end of the 2023 fiscal year, which is September 30 for the federal government.
Congress would likely approve any new Ukraine aid package as there is still strong bipartisan support for funding the proxy war. The debt ceiling deal reached between the White House and House Republicans put no limit on emergency spending packages, which is how Congress has authorized the $113 billion that has been approved for spending on the war so far.
If we the people made those kind of errors, we’d be fired…
AND be in the pokey, Donna!
“Pentagon Says ‘Accounting Error’ Provides Extra $6.2 Billion in Ukraine Military Aid”
America is done, stick a fork in it!
Pentagon is run by crooks.
Not just the Pentagon. The entire government is run by crooks and enabled by fools.
Jesus, I wish I can make $6 billion “accounting errors.” “Defense” spending is such immense blackhole that actual BILLIONS can be just written off as accounting errors…
So, we are offloading our notably worn-out weapons, and/or not intending to replace what is being given away..? Or perhaps using accounting gimmicks to give away valuable stuff and pretending it’s worth little, in order to brush off for another day the sticker shock the taxpayers will get when they later are told the shelves are empty and it will cost 3x as much to replace it all. It’s like carefully making financial choices in the way that costs most to get the least. But that’s the way America wastes other people’s money.
The liars are back at it again.
The only accounting logic to support this is the US decided to give peace a chance and does not plan on replacing weapons inventory.
google = “Jan 18, 2023 ; The Pentagon failed a fifth consecutive audit in November, when it could only account for 39 percent of its $3.5 trillion in assets.”
Then the Pentagon was punished by Congress by getting even more money to “misplace”.
“The additional funds mean that the White House might not need to ask Congress to authorize more spending on Ukraine before the end of the 2023 fiscal year, which is September 30 for the federal government.”
By then the entire $45 billion will have been found to be an “accounting error”.
Meanwhile, the cost to repair the part of Hwy 95 that fell down (!) in Philly is probably ten times what it would be if we had had a real maintenance program, which we can’t afford because …
Not that federal infrastructure is not also a racket; but at least the public gets stuff we need and promotes business, as opposed to just blowing stuff and people up.
Jealousy times for Israel…!
Imagine we had that much money to fund quality child day care for working parents and early childhood development for all our children?? And support public education. But the good democratic trash in congress turned down an honest demand to audit the Ukrainians. Must be because our government elite is as corrupt as any Ukrainian.
Poverty is destroying American families, that war we can’t fund.
I thought you had to have math skills to be an accountant.
Hi JS:
You don’t need math skills, you need the skills of a magician…
If I had magic skills and became a government accountant, I’d have to use my skills to hide or disguise myself so they’d never find me.
WTH? OMG – I am sorry but the incompetence of all this has me shaking my head. Either they are insanely incompetent or this is a scam and we are givimg additional monies w/o congressional approval, either way it stinks.
Since June 4, the AFU has launched 263 attacks on the positions of Russian troops. After two weeks the Ukrainian attacks have resulted in the following losses of the AFU:
9,600 servicemen casualties.
373 armoured vehicles, inc Bradleys, HMMWVs and Strykers US $3 million each. Total US$1.194 billion
172 tanks, inc Leopards and AMX-10s
US $170 million each. Total US$29.42 billion
146 artillery systems, inc. Krabs, PzH 2000s, Caezars, M109s and M777. US $11.5 million each. Total US$1.679 billion
15 warplanes and helicopters
US $35 million each. Total US$0.535 billion
198 UAVs US $10 thousand each. Total US$ 1.98 million
Grand Total Approx. US $32 billion. So this accounting error is only 1/2 weeks worth of military hardware for the NATO illegal aggressive war.
Man! That’s a lot of losses! How can they survive?!? Hahaha.
Russia is losing ground and manpower as we speak. They’ve come out from their defensive positions and charged head-on into the Ukrainian attack and they’re being decimated. Your numbers aren’t backed by any legitimate source. You’re just pulling numbers out of your ass.
The only positive thing that the Russians had going was their attack helicopters. Now it seems like the Ukes have adjusted their tactics and those Ka-52s are dropping like flies.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pushed back on comments from Republican politicians who will not bolster Ukraine’s military against Russia and end the war.
“If any candidate thinks supporting Ukraine is too costly, are they ready to go to war? Are they ready to fight? Send their children? Die?” Zelensky said. He also said “They will have to do it anyway if NATO enters this war”
So if you either support the war or dont support the war the US and NATO must go to war right?
Up is Down, Black is White its all just big lies after big lies.
Arrest him and present him to the Hague.
I hate this phucker.
Accounting “error” this magnetite would mark them incompetent, fired and even jailed. Theft, pure and simple.
So … Give away even more, to be replaced with even more new stuff at triple the price … Is it clear what this “war” is about now?
$600 toilet seats and $200 hammers ?
oh my mistake, it is now $52,000 trash-cans.
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2023/06/20/the-pentagons-52000-trash-can/
Creative accounting?…PENTAGONE.