Pentagon finds accounting errors worth $2 billion in aid for Ukraine

Credit: rawpixel.com / Sergeant Matt Hecht

The U.S. Defense Department has identified another $2 billion worth of accounting errors in its estimations of military aid sent to Ukraine, a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report revealed on July 25.

The Pentagon announced on June 21, 2023 that it had overestimated the value of arms sent to Ukraine over the past two years by $6.2 billion. Now, the discovery of additional errors brings the total  unspent sum to $8.2 billion.

The Pentagon has struggled to accurately estimate the cost of defense articles shipped to Ukraine, the GAO report said.

U.S. Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) allows the president to allocate equipment from U.S. stocks, such as ammunition, vehicles, and medical supplies, to respond to crises abroad. PDA arises from the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.