; and (5) Impairments of peacekeeping missions to operate, including addressing objectives that may directly impact the national security of the United States . (7) The ongoing accrual of arrears by the United States is having a negative impact on the financial health of United Nations peacekeeping with low and middle-income countries, who voluntarily provide the bulk of the troops, police, and equipment to these missions, not being adequately reimbursed for their contributions and shouldering an increasing financial burden. (8) Budgetary shortfalls created by United States arrears make it difficult to address shortages of critical equipment needed by United Nations peacekeeping operations to be effective in the field. (9) Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine provided nearly 17 percent of all air assets on United Nations peacekeeping missions. Since the start of the war, Ukraine has been forced to withdraw most of these to defend its own territory, causing shortages for missions that already lacked sufficient quantities of aircraft. United States budgetary shortfalls make it harder for other countries to step in, as they cannot be certain when or if they will receive full reimbursement for their contributions. (10) The People’s Republic of China is now the second largest financial contributor to United Nations peacekeeping, having gone from an assessment rate of just 3 percent in 2008 to more than 18 percent in 2023, and is the tenth largest troop-contributor to United Nations missions, providing more personnel than the other four permanent members of the Security Council combined. (11) The People’s Republic of China has used this expanded influence to argue against human rights, civilian protection, and gender-based violence personnel within United Nations peacekeeping operations, in part using United States funding shortfalls as a pretext to downsize peacekeeping missions. (12) United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 called for women to take on a greater role in preventing and resolving