Pentagon redirects missile components from Kiev to own forces – WSJ
The Pentagon has redirected key missile components originally intended for Ukraine’s air defense to American forces in the Middle East, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing a confidential notification sent to Congress last week. The move comes as US President Donald Trump has been winding down support for Ukraine since entering office.
According to the WSJ, the move concerns proximity fuzes used in ground-based Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) – a guided rocket system that Ukraine has reportedly been using for the past several years to shoot down drones. The fuzes were acquired under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative under former US President Joe Biden. Although funding for the initiative has already been spent, previously approved shipments are still scheduled to arrive in Ukraine later this year and the next.
However, the WSJ has claimed that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized the transfer of the fuzes via an internal memo last month, designating it as a “Secretary of Defense Identified Urgent Issue.” The decision was reportedly communicated to the Senate Armed Services Committee, although the Pentagon has declined to comment publicly.
Citing anonymous sources and internal documents, the WSJ said the US Air Force intends to use the reallocated fuzes in rockets mounted on F-16 and F-15E fighter jets. The redirection was permitted under an emergency military spending bill passed last year.
Celeste Wallander, who served as a senior Defense Department official during the Biden administration, told the WSJ that while the systems have been “vital” to Ukraine’s air defense, there is also an “urgent requirement to protect US personnel and bases in the Middle East against Houthi and potentially Iranian drone attacks.”
The WSJ report comes after Hegseth skipped a NATO meeting this week focused on coordinating military aid to Ukraine. It marked the first time the head of the Pentagon had missed a gathering of the group and came amid Hegseth’s repeated criticism of continued US involvement in the Ukraine conflict.
President Trump has frequently questioned continued military support for Ukraine, and has called for the conflict to be resolved diplomatically while pushing Moscow and Kiev to reach a peace deal.
Russian officials have condemned foreign arms shipments to Kiev throughout the conflict, arguing they will not alter the course of the war but will lead to further escalation and casualties.
