The United States holds only about 25% of the Patriot missile interceptors required for all Pentagon military plans, after recent deployments depleted stockpiles in the Middle East.
Source: The Guardian, citing four informed sources, as reported by European Pravda
Details: Missile stockpiles have shrunk to such an extent that the Pentagon has grown concerned this could compromise potential US military operations. As a result, Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg authorised a suspension of deliveries while checks were carried out on weapons destinations.
US President Donald Trump said he would “send some more weapons” to Ukraine, though he did not clarify whether this would include Patriot systems. During a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump said he was not responsible for halting supplies and had only ordered a review of US stockpiles – not a freeze.
However, the sources noted that the decision to halt shipments, taken last month, was based on data from the Pentagon’s global ammunition tracking system, which determines the minimum levels of munitions required to carry out the US military’s operations plans.
Since the start of US military assistance to Ukraine under former president Joe Biden, stocks of several critical types of ammunition have remained below these minimum levels.
According to sources, the Trump administration began reviewing depleted stockpiles of Patriot and other munitions around February. The issue gained urgency after the US deployed more interceptors to the Middle East to support operations in Israel and against the Houthis.
The situation worsened after Trump’s decision to strike Iranian nuclear sites last month, during which the US launched about 30 Patriot missiles to intercept Iranian ballistic missiles.
The recent depletion of Patriot missiles and other munitions was the basis of a “recommendation memo” by Deputy Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby. The memo outlined options for preserving armaments and was sent to Feinberg’s office.
Following this, Feinberg made the decision, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth later approved it.
White House and Pentagon officials confirmed that some shipments would resume at Trump’s direction, but did not say whether critically low ammunition would be included.
The US delivers arms to Ukraine through two main channels: drawdowns from Pentagon stockpiles and the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), under which the Pentagon contracts manufacturers to produce weapons for Ukraine.
Sources noted that both channels were affected by the freeze, as the Pentagon prioritised replenishing its own stocks using the same contractors producing weapons for Ukraine through the USAI programme.
Background:
Earlier media reports indicated that Hegseth had personally ordered the halt of some arms shipments to Ukraine, despite internal military assessments indicating that such transfers would not pose a threat to US combat readiness.On 8 July, the Pentagon announced that, on President Trump’s orders, the US would send additional defensive weapons to Ukraine.
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