‘FrankenSAM’ Missile—A Tale of Necessity

Sidewinder missiles sent to Ukraine will be fired by a surface-to-air defense system that the United States was able to cobble together, known as a FrankenSAM.

U.S. marines load an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile into an F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet as they take part in the bi-annual Marine Aviation Support Activity (MASA) 23 at the airport of a former U.S. naval base, in Subic Bay, Philippines, on July 13, 2023. Ezra Acayan/Getty Images

Commentary

Using the ever-popular Presidential Drawdown Authority, the Biden administration has authorized another $250 million in weapons transfers to Ukraine. This $250 million will leave the Pentagon with about $5.4 billion in authority to pull existing weapons from its weapon and equipment stockpiles to send to Ukraine without congressional authority.