Austin: ‘Won’t Speculate’ How Long We’ll Need to Send Cluster Munitions While We Replenish Supplies

During an interview with CNN aired on Thursday’s “Situation Room,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that he “won’t speculate as to how long” the U.S. will have to supply Ukraine with cluster munitions while it works to replenish stocks of the munitions Ukraine needs. He also stated that “We have what we need, and we’ll continue to have what we need to support our plans in the United States of America.”

Austin said, “[W]hat we did early on was we engaged our industrial base and asked them to expand their capacity, and also the international industrial base, we’ve worked with other countries to do the same. We have what we need, and we’ll continue to have what we need to support our plans in the United States of America. But we want to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs to be able to continue the fight. While that expansion’s taking place, these cluster munitions act as kind of a bridging capability.”

Later, host Wolf Blitzer asked, “How long do you think the U.S. will need to provide these cluster bombs to Ukraine?”

Austin answered, “We want to make sure that Ukraine can remain successful in their fight, Wolf, and so, I won’t speculate as to how long that’s going to take. We’re going to stay focused on making sure that they have what they need to continue to provide the support for their maneuver, and so, that’s where we’ve been from the very beginning, and we’ll stay focused on that.”

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