Henrico Times

Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA), along with 10 other lawmakers, has written a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, advocating for the deployment of more American-made drones in Ukraine. The move is aimed at bolstering Ukraine's defense capabilities against Russian aggression and reducing its reliance on Chinese-made drones.

The lawmakers' letter highlighted that most drones currently being used by Ukraine are produced by a single Chinese company. They believe that deploying American drones would allow the United States to develop superior systems and enhance capabilities necessary for deterring and winning future conflicts.

"The recently enacted Ukraine Supplemental included $13.8 billion in funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), a crucial mechanism for delivering defense aid to Ukraine," the lawmakers wrote. "In obligating these and other appropriate funds, we strongly urge you to include small, American-made drones in the next package of assistance to Ukraine. Without these drones, Ukrainian forces cannot conduct effective battlefield operations and must rely on insecure drones from China that are increasingly difficult to procure."

The letter was signed by Reps. Jack Bergman, Rich McCormick, Carlos Gimenez, Jen Kiggans, Ashley Hinson, Doug Lamborn, Lance Gooden, Nick LaLota, Michael Turner, and Don Bacon alongside Rep. Wittman.

The lawmakers outlined three fundamental reasons for their request: Drones are critical to Ukraine's defense efforts; their use provides insight into future conflict tactics; and replacing Chinese systems with American ones would be a geopolitical victory for the United States.

Without access to these essential tools of warfare, Ukrainian forces would be unable to effectively conduct battlefield operations. The lawmakers look forward to working with Secretary Austin in addressing this urgent need.