The US State Department assessed the state and capabilities of Ukraine’s defense industry
13 December 12:42
Since February 2022, Ukraine’s defense industrial base has grown more than tenfold, which, of course, is due to the country’s current military needs, but once the war is over, Ukraine will have one of the most modern, competitive defense industrial bases in Europe. Richard Verma, Under Secretary of State for Management and Resources and U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery, said this during a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., Komersant ukrainskyi reports.
He emphasized that the United States helped to stimulate this growth, and with it, to transform Ukraine’s defense industry into a modern, Western-oriented sector. Richard Verma believes that Ukraine is capable of taking a share of the global market from Russia and supplying its allies with ammunition and equipment in accordance with NATO standards.
“We have created an interagency group with the Department of Commerce and the Department of Defense to deploy more joint U.S.-Ukrainian defense production on Ukrainian soil with U.S. industry, Ukrainian and other partners, including three joint production agreements between U.S. and Ukrainian small and medium caliber ammunition manufacturers, as well as the first joint production agreement between Ukraine and the U.S. defense company Northrop Grumman. We have used foreign military financing to launch the nearly $2 billion Defense Enterprise Fund in Ukraine, which is entering into additional key defense co-production agreements with Ukrainian partners,” said Richard Verma.
According to him, the leaders of the U.S. Defense Department are impressed with the advanced innovations of Ukrainian defense production.
The American official paid special attention to Ukrainian technologies of the future.
“Ukrainian cyber warriors, tech entrepreneurs, and citizen programmers are turning their patriotism into digital innovations. Some of the most dynamic innovation ecosystems have developed in small open economies that face a constant threat from a geopolitical rival. This is the case, for example, in Taiwan, Estonia, South Korea, and Israel. That’s why the new US cybersecurity assistance of $100 million, announced three weeks ago in Warsaw, is both a form of security and economic support,” said Richard Verma.
He reported that Ukraine’s tech sector grew by 7 percent overall in 2022 despite a 29 percent drop in the economy; retained 95 percent of its capacity and continues to support more than 5,000 tech companies employing nearly 300,000 developers.
The war, according to Richard Verma, has actually led to the emergence of new startups that focus on new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, which can play a more important role in improving operational efficiency, saving money, time, and even accelerating the implementation of e-government.
As you know, US Under Secretary of State and Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery Richard Verma visited Kyiv in mid-November. the 55-year-old diplomat has been serving as the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Management and Resources since April 5, 2023. Richard Verma became the U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine’s Economic Recovery in September, replacing Penny Pritzker, whose one-year contract had expired. Richard Verma also visited Ukraine in September.
As a reminder, on November 14, Special Representatives for Ukraine’s recovery from 19 countries met in Warsaw as part of the EU-Ukraine Investment Conference, co-organized this year by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine. The U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine’s Recovery, Under Secretary of State Richard Verma, emphasized that defense and economic development are inextricably linked, and that it is important to invest in Ukraine without waiting for the war to end. He noted that Ukraine has been consistently making progress in creating a favorable environment for investors by removing regulatory barriers and increasing business confidence through the introduction of digital tools.
