The US has only a quarter of the required Patriot missiles for the Pentagon's plans
According to a new investigation by The Guardian, the United States has only 25% of the required number of Patriot interceptor missiles to meet the Pentagon's military plans. This has forced the Donald Trump administration to reconsider its approach to supplying such munitions to Ukraine.
Here's What We Know
The Guardian reports that low stocks of critical air defence munitions have led to a temporary halt in missile supplies to Ukraine. This was also influenced by the recent conflict in the Middle East: The United States launched about 30 Patriot missiles to intercept Iranian ballistic missiles flying towards the Al Udeid base in Qatar. This further depleted the stockpile.
As a result, analysts estimate that the United States now has only about a quarter of the minimum number of interceptors needed to implement its defence plans. This also calls into question the possibility of deploying additional systems in the Persian Gulf, in particular to deter Houthi attacks in Yemen.
Nevertheless, according to Axios, Donald Trump promised in a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to immediately transfer 10 more missiles to the Patriot system. He repeated the same promise publicly before a dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Previous NBC News reports denied that the situation was critical, but new sources indicate that the administration began reviewing the level of ammunition in February. It is not only about Patriot, but also about other precision weapons, whose stocks are on the verge of being depleted.
Source: The Guardian
