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1 correction found
The Pentagon hadn’t bought a new Stinger in twenty years.
This overstates the procurement gap. The Pentagon awarded a Stinger missile production contract in July 2021, so it had bought Stingers less than a year before Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Full reasoning
The claim says the Pentagon had not bought a new Stinger in 20 years. But the U.S. Department of Defense announced on July 12, 2021 that Raytheon was awarded a $320,667,721 contract for Stinger missile production, and the notice says the using customers were the Army, Air Force, and federal civilian agencies. That is a Pentagon Stinger purchase, and it occurred well within 20 years of the 2022 invasion.
It is possible to say that U.S. Stinger procurement had been limited for many years, or that major replenishment orders only came after 2022. But the categorical statement that the Pentagon hadn’t bought a new Stinger in twenty years is contradicted by the DoD’s own 2021 contract notice.
1 source
- U.S. Department of Defense — Contracts For July 12, 2021
Raytheon Co., Tucson, Arizona, was awarded a $320,667,721 firm-fixed-price contract for Stinger missile production. ... Using customers are Army, Air Force and federal civilian agencies.