Deliveries of American arms to NATO allies, including those intended to support Ukraine, have been temporarily suspended due to the federal government shutdown. This was reported by Axios, citing sources in the US State Department.
“This is causing great harm to both our allies and partners, as well as American industry, by hampering the delivery of many of these critical capabilities abroad,” a senior State Department official told the publication.
According to sources, the delay affected deliveries of weapons such as AMRAAM missiles, Aegis systems, and HIMARS. Countries awaiting these deliveries include Denmark, Croatia, and Poland.
The freeze was caused by the forced furlough of some State Department employees. This particularly affects specialists responsible for interacting with Congress and processing export licenses.
As the official explained, last month the staff of the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, which handles U.S. arms sales abroad, was reduced to approximately a quarter of its usual level. This has significantly slowed the approval and shipment of weapons.
Hellbound and Down 