More than 200 staffers oversight American aid to Ukraine: exclusive details

The U.S. Congress has appropriated $174.2 billion in emergency supplemental funding for Ukraine in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Of this amount, $110.7 billion was provided for the U.S. Department of Defense and certain other defense-related activities.

The U.S. Government coordinates military assistance to Ukraine under Operation Atlantic Resolve (OAR) which was founded in 2014 after the Russian illegal annexation of Crimea and updated after Moscow's full-scale aggression. The Operation is aimed not only at supporting Kyiv but also at strengthening NATO and deterring Russian aggression against the Alliance.

How the U.S. oversees the multibillion-dollar aid provided to Kyiv, and how the American partners collaborate with Ukrainian leaders for this purpose — read below.

Oversight and investigations

In June 2022, less than four months after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Ukraine Oversight Interagency Working Group was established. The group consists of 23 federal oversight agencies that share information, develop plans, and coordinate oversight across agencies that are conducting audits, evaluations, and investigations related to U.S. government assistance to Ukraine.

Among such agencies is the U.S. Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DoD OIG). Congress designated DoD Inspector General Robert Storch as the Special Inspector General of OAR.

DoD OIG, State, and USAID are the lead agencies of the Ukraine Oversight Group.

"Oversight of U.S. assistance includes both programmatic oversight and investigative activities. These are facilitated through engagements between senior U.S. and Ukrainian government and civil society leaders, as well as memorandums of understanding that ensure we get the information we need to inform all our activities," said Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Defense who is the Special Inspector General for Operation Atlantic Resolve.

"During leadership engagements, discussions are held that reinforce the need for collaboration, transparency, and accountability from all stakeholders to protect U.S. taxpayer-fund assistance to Ukraine. Leaders also discuss activities designed to protect U.S. assistance," Storch, told "Telegraf".

The DoD OIG signed Memorandums of Understanding with the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the State Bureau of Investigation, the National Police of Ukraine, and the Main Inspectorate of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense.

For now, the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General has more than 200 staffers engaged in various aspects of Ukraine oversight work. Four staff, including two special agents, currently work from the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv. In January 2024, DoD Inspector General Robert Storch, who is also the Special Inspector for OAR, traveled to Ukraine with colleagues from the offices of inspectors generals at State and USAID to get first-hand information.

"The main mission of DoD OIG employees is to ensure independent and effective oversight of U.S. Government programs and operations related to Ukraine. This is executed through joint or individual audits, inspections, evaluations, and investigations," Mollie Halpern, spokesperson at the DoD OIG, explained "Telegraf".

What are the results?

The Inspector Generals from DoD, State, and USAID recently launched an official website providing the latest updates and reports on the oversight work. The website serves as a single resource for oversight work from all members of the Ukraine Oversight Interagency Working Group.

For instance, in February 2023, one of the evaluations determined that some of the weapons and equipment that the Pentagon had pre-positioned in Europe and transferred to the Ukrainian Armed Forces were not functional due to improper maintenance and poor conditions at army warehouses.

In June 2023, another evaluation found that during the transfer of defense items to Ukrainian government officials that were delivered via air to Jasionka, Poland, DoD aircraft manifests were incomplete in some cases, and the personnel did not have the necessary data on thousands of pieces of equipment.

In January 2024, an evaluation found that while there had been improvement, U.S. personnel in Europe did not fully comply with the requirements for the Enhanced End-Use Monitoring process in a hostile environment for sensitive defense articles transferred to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Thus, the federal law specifically requires enhanced monitoring of the use of defense items provided to Kyiv by the United States, if they incorporate sensitive technology; are particularly vulnerable to misuse; or whose misuse could have significant consequences for U.S. national security. These are, for instance, missiles for the Javelin and Stinger systems, Switchblade drones, and AMRAAM missiles. Most of these capabilities are immediately deployed on the front line, so it is obviously difficult to fully monitor.

Spending within the framework of the $61 billion Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act approved by Congress is also subject to oversight mechanisms to ensure whole-of-government oversight and transparency of this process. Of the $61 billion the DoD will administer $48.4 billion.