The paralysis of the American government also had an impact on the military machine. The longest shutdown in US history, now entering its 41st day, has not only caused chaos at home, but is starting to have an impact abroad. According to State Department estimates cited by Axios, more than $5 billion in US arms destined for NATO members to Ukraine has been blocked: the shutdown has actually stalled several federal agencies, including the Foggy Bottom office that manages export contracts. As a result, deliveries of systems such as Himars, Aegis and Amraam missiles to Denmark, Croatia and Poland (most of which were then transferred to Ukraine) were stalled or delayed.
“All of this actually hurts our allies and partners, as well as US industry, which has failed to provide many of these critical capabilities overseas,” a senior US State Department official told the site, noting that pending transactions include direct arms sales from Washington to NATO allies and the granting of export permits to private US defense companies.
Meanwhile spokesman Tommy Pigott repeated the White House’s accusation that Democrats were to blame for the shutdown: “They blocked critical arms sales, including to our NATO allies, which damaged the US industrial base and endangered our security and that of our partners.” “China and Russia have not shut down, making their efforts to undermine the US easier, while the industrial base suffers and the needs of our allies go unmet,” said Senate Foreign Relations President James Risch.
But these closures also impact civilians who work on American military bases overseas. In Europe, as the Associated Press reports, thousands of people have not received their salaries for nearly six weeks: in some cases, the governments hosting the bases have intervened, hoping the United States will eventually compensate them. Germany, for example, provided advances to nearly 11 thousand employees at US bases (including Ramstein, an important operations center in the Middle East and Africa). Meanwhile in other countries, including Italy, people continue to work without pay. Of the approximately 4,600 employees present at the five bases, more than 2 thousand between Aviano and Vicenza were not paid in October. Angelo Zaccaria, union coordinator at Aviano air base, stressed that the situation is absurd because no one has the answers, no one feels responsible.
In Portugal, more than 360 workers at the Lajes Field in the Azores remained unpaid and the region agreed to a temporary loan, while in Spain, delays in Morón and Rota were resolved with government intervention. Local employee salaries vary by country and are based on specific agreements between Washington and each host nation, said Amber Kelly-Herard, public affairs spokeswoman for the U.S. Air Force in Europe and Africa.
During the closure, Kelly-Herard said local employees must continue to do the work under their contracts.
Those most affected are the employees of contracting companies, who are not always reimbursed at the end of the shutdown.
