But 69 days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, his journey is particularly timely. Biden, who last week called on Congress to approve a $ 33 billion aid package, will tour and present remarks at Lockheed Martin’s extensive 4,000-acre production facility in Troy, the latest assembly of Javelins, the anti-tank missiles that have been crucial to Ukraine’s defense because they are light systems that can be operated by one person and hit targets more than two miles away. The United States supplied more than 5,000 Javelins to Ukraine from US supplies and nearly 500 more from allies and partners. Defense Minister Lloyd Austin said the Javelins were “very, very effective in this battle” and Ukrainian authorities sometimes requested 500 Javelin anti-tank missiles a day.
Quickly sending these Javelins to Ukraine has become a numbers game. The Lockheed Martin facility can produce up to 2,100 Javelins a year, which is less than half of what the United States has sent to Ukraine so far.
The company’s chief executive, James Tylett, recently told CNBC that he expects aggregate demand for weapons like Javelins to “increase over time” as the invasion stretches, and said his company is working to increase its supply chain.
In addition to allowing more weapons to be sent to Ukraine, Biden is also expected to urge Congress to swiftly adopt a new $ 33 billion aid package to “make sure the United States and our allies can replenish their own.” stockpiles of weapons to replace what we sent to Ukraine, “according to a preliminary review by the White House. Spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters Monday that the United States had managed to transfer equipment from the stockpile “without compromising military readiness.”
Biden will also use his visit to Alabama to “remind people of the US role in helping Ukraine” by providing them with weapons and ammunition and “highlighting the role played by men and women working at the Alabama facility.” producing these weapons for the battle in Ukraine, “according to the White House.
As each Javelin requires the production of more than 200 semiconductors, Biden is also expected to urge Congress to pass a bipartisan innovation law to encourage chip production in the country.
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