Pentagon inspector general launches Ukraine oversight website

Carolyn Kaster, Associated Press
The Pentagon seen Aug. 27, 2023, in Washington.

The Pentagon’s Office of the Inspector General launched a new website Tuesday to give more information to Americans about the oversight of U.S. weapons and equipment provided to Ukraine.

The new website, launched in coordination with inspector general office for the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development, comes as congressional Republicans continue to hold up new funding for Ukraine and question whether there is proper accounting for the weapons shipped to the embattled country.

In a statement, the Pentagon inspector general said the website provides resources and information about the work more than 20 U.S. oversight agencies — known collectively as the Ukraine Oversight Interagency Working Group — are doing to ensure Ukraine aid is not being misused.

The website also includes contact information to report any allegations of fraud, waste or misuse related to Ukraine aid.

Pentagon Inspector General Robert Storch said in a statement the website is a “convenient, one-stop shop for people to learn more about our extensive efforts across the oversight community to oversee the use of taxpayer dollars for the U.S. Ukraine response.”

The website has a welcome page, complete with a video, describing the efforts from the Ukraine Oversight Interagency Working Group and an introduction about the war in Ukraine and U.S. support.

It also has fact sheets about how much the U.S. has provided in aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in 2022 — $113.4 billion — along with details about oversight projects from agencies tasked with ensuring against the misuse of weapons.

Republicans have long raised questions about the billions of dollars headed to Ukraine, including whether there is proper oversight. Storch’s office has found some issue with tracking aid to Ukraine but has not found glaring problems of waste, fraud or misuse.

Diana Shaw, acting inspector general for the Department of State, said “Ukraine oversight is our number one priority,” hailing the new website as a new tool “to help keep American taxpayers informed.”

“We are delighted that this important resource — a centralized website showcasing the impressive volume and breadth of our whole-of-government oversight of the U.S. response to Russia’s unprecedented war in Ukraine — is now available to our stakeholders,” Shaw said in a statement.

Tags Inspector general Oversight Robert Storch Russia Ukraine

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