An analysis by senior military officers shows that a military aid package for Ukraine, canceled by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Department of Defense earlier this week over concerns about low munitions stockpiles, would not have jeopardized the U.S. military's ammunition supplies.
In the review, which began earlier this year after Hegseth issued an order for the Pentagon's Joint Staff to examine the stockpiles of all munitions, found that while some supplies of high-precision weaponry are at lower levels, none were beyond critical minimum amounts, reports NBC News, quoting three officials familiar with the situation, on Friday.
The review also concluded that continuing to assist Ukraine would not drain supplies below a required level necessary for military readiness, the officials commented.
The administration said this week it was holding back on delivering some weapons, including air defense missiles and precision-guided artillery, citing concerns over supply levels.
The move led to criticism from Republicans and Democrats who support aid for Ukraine in its fight against Russia, as well as stunned officials in Kyiv and the United States' European allies.
"We are not at any lower point, stockpile-wise, than we've been in the 3½ years of the Ukraine conflict," Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, told NBC News.
He added that he and his staff have "seen the numbers" and that there is no indication that the military's supplies are low enough to justify stopping the aid for Ukraine.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., in a letter to President Donald Trump, asked for an emergency briefing from the White House and the DOD to review the decision to withhold "urgent, lifesaving military assistance to Ukraine."
He further argued that it is possible to send badly needed arms to Ukraine while maintaining adequate supplies for the U.S. military.
Rep. Michael McCaul, R- Texas, meanwhile, wrote on social media that it is important to keep supplying Ukraine as it is "time to show [Russian President Vladimir] Putin we mean business... that starts with ensuring Ukraine has the weapons Congress authorized to pressure Putin to the negotiating table."
Hegseth was the person who made the unilateral decision to suspend the military aid, according to NBC's sources, who said that it was the third time that he'd acted on his own to stop shipments.
But in the other two cases, they said, the actions were reversed within days after being announced in February and May.
Senior Pentagon official Elbridge Colby, the undersecretary of defense for policy, has supported Hegseth's moves, as he supports scaling back the United States' commitment in Ukraine and shifting weapons to the Pacific, the sources added.
Lawmakers from both sides also said they are frustrated that they were not notified in advance before this week's announcement, and are examining whether the delay violates legislation that mandates assistance for Ukraine, congressional aides said.
The White House, defending the decision, said it was made after an ongoing review by the DOD into assistance to allies and partners that started last month.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell referred to the assessment as a "capability review."
"We can't give weapons to everybody all around the world," he said at a briefing on Wednesday. "Part of our job is to give the president a framework that he can use to evaluate how many munitions we have, where we're sending them. And that review process is happening right now and is ongoing."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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