Thread by @CaitlinDoornbos

U.S. official: "I have to say at the outset how tremendously proud the entire team here at the Pentagon is of our ability to provide security assistance to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and how impressed we are with how they are fielding these capabilities right now as we speak."

Two senior defense officials speaking this morning. This first one first will brief on U.S. security assistance to Ukraine.

"For the past several years, we've been working closely with the United Kingdom, Canada, Lithuania and Poland, to collaborate on security assistance and to work together with Ukrainian Ministry of Defense to identify what their priority capability needs are."

"We are turning requests for capabilities faster than ever before, [but] we've been working w/Ukrainians for years now to understand what their military needs [would be] in the event of defending Ukraine against a Russian invasion."

"So we've been able to build on that understanding, and then dramatically speed up our processes to field the capabilities."

Another reason for U.S. speed in delivering weapons to Ukraine: "Drawdown [assistance] is taken from the stocks of the [U.S.] services, so we're not going out on the market and purchasing new items so we have to actually have it in hand to be able to deliver it."

"We have just accelerated our process of identifying requirements and accelerated our consultations as well with Ukrainians talking to them daily as opposed to periodic meetings that we did before this crisis. But we're not stopping here."

"The administration has made a request for additional funding, so we do plan on continuing to provide presidential drawdown assistance to the Ukrainians, & we are seeking assistance from the US Congress to replenish the stocks that we have [sent] from the military departments."

"[We] have been tremendously impressed by how effectively the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been using the equipment we've provided them. Kremlin watchers have also been surprised by this at how they have slowed the Russian advance and performed extremely well on the battlefield."

On whether it's been difficult to deliver these security packages: "From our conversations w/Ukrainian officials in the Ministry of Defense & the armed forces. What we're seeing is they are able to distribute the equipment, very quickly, and that they are able to make use of it."

U.S. intends to deliver the "vast majority" of the $350 million drawdown package announced last week within the next week. Packages before the invasion took much longer.

"I hesitate to give more specific timelines than that because we keep exceeding what we thought we could do."

On why Russia hasn't attacked U.S. deliveries of security packages:
"They have made clear publicly their disapproval of support to Ukraine, including security assistance. So we are certainly aware of their objections, but the specific operations I just I can't speculate on that."

The official declined to say how the U.S. is getting these packages into Ukraine, citing operational security reasons.

The $350 million security assistance package for Ukraine that President Joe Biden announced last week was the "the highest single drawdown authority" package approved in U.S. history.