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Mike Brest, Defense Reporter


NextImg:Government shutdown could affect weapons transfers and training for Ukraine

A United States government shutdown could prevent the military from providing support to allies, such as Ukraine, according to various U.S. officials.

The Department of Defense will continue to carry out actions deemed crucial to national security, though it would stop nonessential activities should the government be unable to reach an agreement before funding runs out at the end of the month.

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Military training “required to achieve and maintain operational readiness and to prepare for and carry out such operations” will be exempted and permitted to continue, according to DoD guidance issued last week ahead of the potential shutdown. It's unclear whether the U.S. military's training of Ukrainian troops would be exempted, though Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin can determine which activities are essential.

U.S. troops are currently training Ukrainian forces on the U.S. Army's M1A1 Abrams tanks that Austin said on Tuesday will arrive on the battlefield "soon." U.S. forces are also expected to train Ukrainian pilots on how to fly F-16 fighter aircraft, but those pilots need to undergo an English learning class to learn the specialized language required to fly the planes.

The F-16 training, which will take place at Morris Air National Guard Base in Tucson, Arizona, could be delayed if the government shuts down, DoD spokesperson Chris Sherwood said.

“Work or delivery of any equipment funded on previous USAI notifications such as F-16 pilot training would continue, but execution could be impacted by furloughs and DoD’s suspension of non-excepted activities,” he said, according to CNN. “The department has notified all available USAI funding, so no new USAI notifications can occur until additional appropriations are enacted."

When it comes to additional aid to Ukraine, DoD would not be able to provide them with weapons under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which is when the department contracts with a defense company to build the weapons for Kyiv. The Pentagon would also be able to use the remaining money left from a $6.2 billion accounting error that was uncovered months ago after the department realized it had been tallying the cost of the new weapons they were getting to replace the older ones already in its inventory that head to Ukraine.

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The State Department has not issued guidance on how it would handle a shutdown either, but, "in the past, the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs has been unable to process new licenses for any partner, including Taiwan, has been unable to process new foreign military sales for any partner, including Taiwan, except in the context of an emergency," State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary Mira Resnick said during her testimony in front of the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.

“This is something we would like to avoid,” Resnick added, though she did not say what would qualify as an "emergency."