USAI

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Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative
(part of military aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War)
Seal of the United States Department of Defense
Project typeSecurity assistance and intelligence support for Ukraine[a]
Funding agencyDepartment of Defense
Framework programmeUS security assistance for Ukraine[b]
Reference
Legislation:
Location
  • Europe
  • USA
Project coordinatorU.S. Congress
Participants
Partners
  • NSATU
  • UDCG
  • International Donor Coordination Centre 
Budget
  • Total:   US$33,989.8 million appropriated by Congress as of September 30, 2025 (2025-09-30)
  • Funding: [1]
    by fiscal years, in millions (USD):[c]
    • FY2016    US$226.5
    • FY2017    US$148.6
    • FY2018    US$195.5
    • FY2019    US$214.8
    • FY2020    US$256.7
    • FY2021    US$275.7
    • FY2022   US$6,300.0
    • FY2023  US$12,300.0
    • FY2024  US$14,072.0
Duration2016 fiscal year – present
Security Assistance Group Ukraine
Other nameSAG–Ukraine, SAG-U
FounderDepartment of Defense
Founding leaderUSEUCOM (ADCON)
Leader
USAREUR-AF (OPCON)
COM SAG-U
LTG Curtis A. Buzzard
Unit type
Operational command
FoundedUSAI (Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative)
Dates activeNovember 4, 2022 (2022-11-04)- pr.
Country(recipient) Ukraine
(forward basing only)
Allegiance United States Armed Forces
Headquarters DE (Commd. Center)
50°02′59″N 8°19′31″E / 50.0498°N 8.3254°E / 50.0498; 8.3254
Active regionsUSEUCOM AOR
StatusMultinational, active
SizeHHC-equivalent[3]
Part ofOperation Atlantic Resolve (as Command)
Websiteunit/SAG-U
Notes
    1. Including training, equipment, logistics support, and supplies and services to military and other security forces of Ukraine
    2. with two other programme streams being FMF and PDA
    3. FY2016-FY2021, actuals as reported by the Department of Defense; FY2022-FY2024, as appropriated. As of Q2FY2025, $33.512 billion were appropriated, $23.29 billion obligated, and $12.469 billion disbursed under USAI since FY2022.[2]: 27 Table 5 

Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative or USAI is a U.S. Department of Defense-led funding program to increase Ukraine's capacity to defend itself more effectively against Russian aggression through the further training of its Armed Forces, equipment, and advisory initiatives.[5]

Overview

Included in USAI packages were training, equipment, and advising activities, in order to improve Ukraine's defensive capabilities, such as marine domain awareness, operational safety, and capacity of Ukrainian Air Force facilities, as well as its lethality, command, control, and survivability. To counter Russian cyberattacks and misinformation, USAI also supports cyber defense and strategic communications.[1]

The USAI, in collaboration with the United States Department of State, supports a wide range of security assistance activities, including, but not limited to, intelligence support, personnel training, equipment and logistics support, supplies, and other services.[6]

Security Assistance Group Ukraine (SAG-U)

Security Assistance Group-Ukraine (SAG-U) personnel, including those forward-deployed as part of SAG-U Operations-Kyiv, has been providing advising support to Ukrainian defense leaders, including the AFU and the Ukrainian National Guard.

In 2022, SAGU was formed as a point of contact. By 21 July 2022, the EUCOM Control Center-Ukraine/International Donor Coordination Centre (ECCU/IDCC) a joint cell formed in March 2022 had trained 1,500 Ukrainian Armed Forces members on coalition-donated equipment.[7] By 4 November 2022, the equipment shipments, and training measures of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group had become repeatable enough to systematize in a Security Assistance Group Ukraine (SAG-U), based in Wiesbaden, Germany.[8][9][10][1] This long-term assistance command[10] was initially staffed on an emergency basis by XVIII Airborne Corps commander Christopher T. Donohue. SAGU's first commander, Lieutenant General Antonio Aguto, was approved by the Senate on 22 December 2022.[11]

By January 2023 500 Ukrainian soldiers per month were being trained.[12] In December 2024, Curtis A. Buzzard assumed command.[13]

As of December 2025, Security Assistance Group–Ukraine (SAG-U) functions as the primary US-led operational command responsible for coordinating security assistance, oversight, and logistics for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). Headquartered at Lucius D. Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany, the group was formally established in November 2022. To ensure strategic alignment between US bilateral efforts and the broader alliance, the group is led by Lieutenant General Curtis A. Buzzard, who is "dual-hatted" as the commander of the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU).[14] This integrated leadership structure was formalized in late 2024 to streamline decision-making and minimize redundancy across the multinational coalition.

SAG-U operates within a complex international framework, working in tandem with NSATU to manage functions previously overseen by the ad hoc International Donor Coordination Center (IDCC). In 2025, coordination responsibilities formally transitioned toward a NATO-led model to ensure enduring support regardless of political shifts in individual donor nations.[15] Logistics are executed through Logistics Enabling Nodes (LENs) in Poland, which serve as secure hubs for the receipt, repair, and transfer of military equipment.

Beyond immediate logistics, SAG-U supports the Operational Force Development Framework (OFDeF), a strategic roadmap designed to transform Ukraine’s military into a NATO-interoperable force.[16] The command facilitates multinational training pipelines; by mid-2025, these initiatives had trained approximately 192,000 Ukrainian personnel across allied nations, managed through the co-located NSATU headquarters.[17]

Funding

The $3 billion dispersed through the initiative in August 2022 can be used to purchase equipment, arms, and ammunition directly from U.S. defense contractors.[18]

Status of Appropriated Funds as of FY2025Q3

Appropriations under USAI[19]: 30 

See also

References

  1. Welt, Cory; Arabia, Christina L.; Bowen, Andrew S. (March 28, 2022). "U.S. Security Assistance to Ukraine". at=Table3. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  2. Special Inspector General for OAR Report to the Congress, Q2FY2025 (PDF) (Report). 2 May 2025. Retrieved 31 July 2025 – via stateoig.gov.
  3. "Major General Kevin V. Doyle". United States Air Force. [...]SAG-U comprised of approximately 500 joint and multinational service members from over 25 countries{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  4. Entous, Adam (29 March 2025). "The Partnership: The Secret History of the War in Ukraine". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 30 March 2025.
  5. "Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) Archives". U.S. Embassy in Ukraine. Retrieved 2022-04-02.
  6. "Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 President's Budget: Direct War and Enduring Cost Appendix" (PDF). Defense Security Cooperation Agency. May 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  7. Machi, Vivienne (21 July 2022). "Inside the multinational logistics cell coordinating military aid for Ukraine". Defense News. Stuttgart, Germany.
  8. Liebermann, Oren; Starr, Barbara (29 September 2022). "Pentagon working to form new command to coordinate arming and training Ukraine". CNN.
  9. Ware, Doug G. (4 November 2022). "Pentagon announces another $400 million in military aid to Ukraine, establishes headquarters in Germany to handle shipments and training". Stars and Stripes. Washington. The department also announced the creation of a new security headquarters in Germany that will handle weapons shipments and personnel training. It will be called the Security Assistance Group Ukraine, or SAGU.
  10. Myers, Meghann (9 November 2022). "Long-term assistance command to oversee training mission with Ukraine". Military Times.
    1. "Lieutenant General Antonio A. Aguto, Jr. (USA)". General Officer Management Office. 22 December 2022. Archived from the original on 2021-06-10.
    2. Jonathan Turner (2 December 2022). "Aguto will lead a new Army headquarters in Germany after leaving Rock Island Arsenal". Our Quad Cities.
  12. Seligman, Lara; McLeary, Paul (18 January 2023). "U.S. prepping major military package for Ukraine". Politico. Retrieved 12 November 2025. Friday's announcement is expected to include Stryker vehicles, but not tanks.
  13. "Press Release - Security Assistance Group–Ukraine Change of Command" (Press release). USAREUR-AF. 24 December 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
  14. "General Officer Announcements". US Department of Defense. July 24, 2024. Retrieved Nov 30, 2025.
  15. Ivan Diakonov (17 January 2025). "NATO takes over coordination of military aid to Ukraine". Ukrainska Pravda.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  16. "NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine". Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). July 11, 2024. Retrieved Nov 30, 2025.
  17. "Commander NSATU attends dialogue with Ukrainian Defence Minister". NSATU Public Affairs Office. Nov 6, 2025. Retrieved Nov 30, 2025.
  18. Michael D. Shear; John Ismay (August 24, 2022). "Biden announces a nearly $3 billion package of arms and equipment for Ukraine". The New York Times. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  19. Special Inspector General for OAR Report to the Congress, Q3FY2025 (PDF) (Report). 15 August 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025 – via stateoig.gov.