The move comes as analysts are seeing Moscow’s rising pressure on Minsk to increase the satellite nation’s involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The U.S. is aiming to send Ukraine the “Vampire” counter-drone system by mid-2023, with a contract award expected within months, a Pentagon spokesman said.
Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro said the punishment stemmed from the five officers’ “inadequate leadership and execution of their oversight duties."