“Due to the shutdown in the USA, the supply of weapons to allies and Ukraine for $5 billion was suspended. The delay affected HIMARS, AMRAAM, Aegis.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Source: Axios, “European Truth”
Details: One US State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the shutdown would harm both US allies and partners and US industry, which “supplies many of these critical assets overseas.”
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The shutdown affected arms shipments, including AMRAAM missiles, Aegis and HIMARS warfare systems, to allies such as Denmark, Croatia and Poland, officials said.
The final destination of the exports is not clear, but weapons sold to NATO allies are often transferred to help Ukraine, it said.
According to the official, among the pending transactions are both the sale of weapons directly from the US government to NATO allies and the licensing of private US defense companies to export weapons.
Usually, the process of such sales is simple and uncontroversial. The Arms Export Control Act requires Congress to review gun sales proposals.
As a result of the shutdown, many State Department employees whose job it is to brief congressional committee staff — and ensure that the process is completed — have been placed on leave, causing work to slow down.
The official said last month the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs had about a quarter of its usual staff to support arms sales.
On Wednesday, November 5, the forced shutdown of the US federal government due to a failed supplemental budget became the longest in history, breaking the 35-day record set during Donald Trump’s first term.
Hours before the shutdown was set to break a record, the Trump administration sounded the alarm about chaos at airports across the country if the crisis drags into a sixth week and deepening staff shortages shut down airports and stretches of airspace.
The media reported that American soldiers in Germany may not receive their salaries for November due to the shutdown, which has already become the longest in US history.
And in Italy, local workers at several US military bases have not been paid due to the US government shutdown, so Rome has announced talks with Washington on the matter.