Ukraine Isn’t the Reason the U.S. Is Unprepared for War

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the United States has provided Kyiv with more than $43 billion worth of security assistance. Opponents of aid to Ukraine have argued that the United States is drawing down inventories of systems and ammunition that are already in short supply for its own forces, and which would be needed in any high-intensity conflict.

Our country could very well lose a large-scale war for lack of weapons and ammunition—but not because of aid to Ukraine. In a major conflict, the U.S. would run out of munitions in a , and in less than a week for some crucial categories. The quantity of weapons we are providing Ukraine is compared with necessary weapons that we have not stocked. As of the American Enterprise Institute has argued, “Over the past , budget after budget, truncated , and .”