WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th November, 2022) The US Department of Defense (DOD) welcomes an audit of its assistance to Ukraine to ensure accountability to taxpayers, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said on Thursday.
"The DOD welcomes an audit. We always want to be accountable to the taxpayers on how their money is being sent or spent when it comes to what we have in our inventory, and what we are sending to Ukraine," Singh said during a press briefing. "We welcome audits when it comes to Ukraine or anything else."
Singh was asked about how the Pentagon can be expected to keep track of equipment sent to Ukraine after failing to complete a "clean" audit of itself five years in a row. On Wednesday, the Pentagon announced that only seven of the 27 entities comprising its fifth annual department-wide audit sustained unmodified, or "clean," audit opinions for 2022.
During the annual audit, independent accountants assess the department's $3.5 trillion in assets, according to the Pentagon.
Earlier on Thursday, media reports citing three US officials said that the Pentagon is running low on stocks of high-end weapon systems and ammunition to give Ukraine. Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and 155mm artillery ammunition are among the supplies for which the US is concerned about meeting Ukrainian demand, the report said.
Last month, the US State Department launched a plan to address the potential flow of weapons sent to Ukraine into the illegal arms trafficking market. Moreover, the US conducts inspections of Ukrainian weapons stocks as part of its effort to prevent the illegal diversion of arms, a senior defense official also said in October.
