US to Allocate $35 Million to Strengthen Georgia’s Defense
By Natalia Kochiashvili
Thursday, April 28, 2022
The United States will provide $ 35 million to Georgia to strengthen its defenses against future threats from Russia. This will be part of another military assistance provided by the United States in response to the Russian-led war in Ukraine.
Two months after Russia's re-invasion of Ukraine, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin paid a visit to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on April 25. During a rare visit to the war zone, US officials told a joint news conference that Washington would help Kiev win the war with Russia. They said the US would provide an additional $ 713 million in military assistance to strengthen the defense capabilities of Ukraine and its 15 allies and partners.
In an exclusive written commentary to Voice Of America’s Georgian service, a State Department spokesman said $ 322 million in foreign military funding (FMF) of $ 713 million would be used to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities. The money allocated to Ukraine will be used for investment, which will strengthen the wide range of opportunities. The State Department says this includes ‘non-NATO standard weapons systems; Assistance to the Ukrainian Armed Forces has been transferred to NATO long-range systems such as artillery fire; And air defense capabilities’.
The rest will be distributed to the Balkans and Central and Eastern European countries, including Georgia.
“Georgia will receive $ 35 million, which includes a brigade of combat equipment, an anti-drone system, a tactical data system of advanced field artillery, mobility capabilities and cyber-defense,” VoA quoted the Department of State from an exclusive written comment.
A diplomat also said that the State Department sent a notice to Congress on April 24 about the allocation of this amount. Its aim is to ‘help NATO allies replenish the capabilities they have provided to Ukraine free of charge from their own reserves, so that NATO can maintain and strengthen its containment capabilities.’
