The government of the United States has authorized the possible sale of a logistics package for the M109 self-propelled howitzers that were transferred to Ukraine as part of military assistance packages following the Russian invasion that began in 2022. This represents a new operation to be carried out through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, for which more than 150 million dollars are to be invested. This was communicated by the U.S. Department of State to Congress on July 24 through official and publicly accessible channels.
Expanding on the details of the package Ukraine seeks to acquire, it primarily involves the purchase of equipment and services to carry out the refurbishment of these artillery platforms. Additionally, Kyiv seeks to obtain technical assistance from the United States for this process, training programs for its own personnel, technical documentation, and support elements for the program.
Regarding the potential sale, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) stated in its official release: “The proposed sale will improve Ukraine’s ability to meet current and future threats by enhancing its capability to carry out self-defense and regional security missions. Ukraine urgently needs to bolster its local maintenance capabilities to sustain a high operational rate for the U.S.-provided vehicles and weapons systems. Improved maintenance, repair, and overhaul capabilities will directly contribute to battlefield effectiveness by supporting a more resilient and faster repair cycle, which will increase overall operational rates while reducing logistical and financial burdens. Ukraine will have no difficulty integrating these items and services into its armed forces.”
Furthermore, the DSCA itself has indicated that if the operation is carried out, all related work would take place on European soil. In this regard, the main contractors listed are BAE Systems, Daimler Truck North America, and Allison Transmission Inc. It is also useful to highlight that Washington does not foresee the need for any additional offset agreements, nor the deployment of additional U.S. representatives to Ukraine.
Finally, it should be remembered that the U.S. has not been the only country to send M109 self-propelled howitzers and related equipment to Ukraine for combat use since the beginning of the war, which it did for the first time in 2023. Along these lines, Kyiv’s European allies such as Denmark, Norway, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Latvia have managed to transfer part of their platform inventories over the course of the conflict, totaling around 60 units by January 2023.
*Images used for illustrative purposes only
You may also like: For US$172 million, the U.S. authorizes the sale of additional MIM-23 HAWK anti-aircraft systems to the Armed Forces of Ukraine
