U.S. Congressmen Joint Letter: Call for Resumption of Arms Shipments to Ukraine

Key Chapter Title List

1. Letter Background and Core Appeal: Concerns Regarding the Suspension of Military Aid to Ukraine
2. Strategic Logic: The Link Between Ukrainian Victory and Containing China
3. Defense Industrial Base (DIB) Challenges and Solutions
4. Urgency of Restoring Shipments and Strategic Objectives
5. Four Specific Inquiries Directed at the Department of Defense
6. List of Co-signing Members of Congress (Excerpt)

Document Introduction

On July 2, 2025, a group of U.S. Congress members sent a joint letter to Deputy Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge A. Colby, expressing serious concern over the Department of Defense's recent decision to suspend shipments of a series of critical munitions to Ukraine. The suspended weapon systems include Patriot air defense interceptors, air-to-air missiles, Hellfire air-to-ground missiles, ground-to-ground rockets, artillery shells, and Stinger portable air defense missiles. The lawmakers noted that this decision stemmed from a DoD review of its munitions stockpiles. Based on the urgent needs on the Ukrainian battlefield and the broad strategic consequences of a potential Russian victory, the letter's core demand is to urge the DoD to immediately reverse this decision and resume "vital" arms shipments to Ukraine.

The letter constructs a key logical chain at the strategic level, directly linking the situation in Ukraine to the United States' long-term deterrence of China. The lawmakers concur that China is America's "only near-peer competitor" and emphasize that ensuring the U.S. has the capability to deter and, if necessary, defeat China is the paramount near- and long-term concern. They further point out that the Chinese threat is amplified by its deepening cooperation with Russia. Should Russia prevail in Ukraine, the strategic challenges posed by the Sino-Russian partnership would deepen, and Russia could potentially make its vast defense industrial base (DIB) available for China's use in an Indo-Pacific conflict. Therefore, the lawmakers argue that "part of the necessity of deterring China is that Ukraine must win," describing this strategy as "maintaining advantage through subtraction."

In addressing their own stockpile issues, the lawmakers acknowledge that U.S. stockpiles have diminished due to global assistance to allies. However, they believe the solution is not to halt aid to Ukraine but to adopt a "laser focus" on accelerating and strengthening the U.S. defense industrial base itself. They emphasize that a robust DIB is one of the most powerful tools currently available for deterring China and note that in any Pacific contingency, the U.S. will need vast stockpiles of missiles, artillery shells, and small, cheap drones. The letter expresses a willingness to collaborate with the DoD on this objective.

The lawmakers stress that resuming arms shipments to Ukraine is crucial to ensure Ukraine can withstand Russian bombardment and aggression in the coming months. It is also a necessary means to pressure President Putin into accepting peace negotiations acceptable to Ukraine, NATO, and the United States. They explicitly state that the current administration's stated goal of achieving peace through negotiations can only be realized by applying pressure on Russia.

The final section of the letter formally requests the Department of Defense to respond by July 10, 2025, on four aspects: First, to provide members with a classified briefing on the status of U.S. munitions stockpiles and explain the review process. Second, to outline how the U.S. will accelerate and strengthen its defense industrial base to simultaneously meet the needs of deterring China and continuing to support allies like Ukraine. Third, to assess the impact of the weapons shipment suspension on Ukraine. Fourth, to clarify whether the DoD has also suspended munitions shipments to other regions. The letter was jointly signed by over forty bipartisan members of Congress, reflecting the high level of cross-party attention this issue commands within the legislature. This document provides primary source text for analyzing the domestic U.S. debate on Ukraine aid policy, its connection to China strategy, and the challenges facing defense industrial capacity.