800 American companies ready to manufacture weapons for Ukraine, media report

The US Department of Defense is considering 1,300 proposals from 800 companies for innovative weapons production for Ukraine.

CNN reports with reference to a source.

In the coming weeks, the Pentagon intends to decide on ideas they'll pursue to organize the possible weapons production for Ukraine and the US military.

Proposals from the Pentagon should include weapons capabilities, air defense, anti-armor, anti-personnel, coastal defense, anti-tank, unmanned aerial systems, counter-battery, and secure communications — identified by Ukraine as critical military needs. 

The announcement comes as part of a broad initiative by the US Defense Department to "fulfill Ukraine's priority security assistance requests." The goal is to accelerate production and build more capacity since the US and its allies will likely have to support Ukraine long after its existing weapons run out.    

CNN reports that on Thursday, President Joe Biden said the US would soon announce another $800 million aid package, including air defense systems and offensive weapons. So far, the US has committed $6.1 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of russia's invasion. The US has been working with over 50 countries to see what weapons they can offer. 

The partners have preferred russian weapons because the Ukrainian army is familiar with those systems and wouldn't need training. But as the war has continued, the West has provided more advanced weapons, and the Ukrainian forces have been trained in neighboring countries. 

The publication notes that the department looks for potential deliveries anywhere from less than 30 days to more than 180 days. It also asks companies to detail what type of air, land, or sea platform they might deploy their weapon on and if they already have something in production.

"In particular, the Department is exploring options which would accelerate production and build more capacity across the industrial base for weapons and equipment that can be rapidly exported, deployed with minimal training, and that is proven effective in the battlefield," the DOD said.

The publication says the Pentagon has implemented a detailed bureaucratic structure to assess Ukraine's needs and try to accelerate supplying them. Senior officials' new "senior integration group" reviews Ukraine's latest operational needs.

The funding could come from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which is a pot of nearly $1 billion for contracting weapons for Ukraine. Almost $240 million has been hired in areas ranging from Switchblade drones to secure communications devices. 

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