Pentagon cuts off some weapons to Ukraine as munitions run low

The Herald Scotland

3 days ago

Ukraine and the United States are "clarifying all the details of defense support, including air defense," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video statement posted to X on July 2.
At a meeting the same day, Ukraine's foreign minister told John Ginkel, the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassy in Kyiv that "any delay or slowing down in supporting Ukraine's defense capabilities would only encourage the aggressor to continue war and terror, rather than seek peace," according to a press release from the Ukrainian foreign ministry.
It's unclear which weapons are held up in the pause. According to reports, the delay includes dozens of Patriot missiles, more than 100 Hellfire missiles and more than 250 missiles for precision-guided missile systems called GMLRS.
Parnell said the Defense Department would not release any information about the types of weapons or munitions that are delayed or the timeline of the review.
It's also unclear if the pause would apply to the $3.4 billion that the United States sends to Israel annually to bolster its missile defense. The announcement comes days after the State Department greenlit another $510 million in munitions support equipment on June 30, handing it to Congress for approval.
As of mid-March, the U.S. had provided Ukraine with $66.9 billion in military assistance since Russia launched its invasion in February of 2022, according to the State Department. That includes three Patriot air defense systems, which can take down ballistic and cruise missiles, 12 NASAMS surface-to-air missile systems, more than 3,000 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and more than 3 million rounds of 155mm artillery.
President Donald Trump temporarily shut down all military aid to Ukraine in March following an volatile meeting with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, but restarted it weeks later.
US support for Ukraine, Israel leaves missile stocks low
The pause on weapons comes amid growing worry in Washington that American military support for Ukraine and Israel in its 12-day aerial war with Iran in June has left the Pentagon's stockpiles of munitions and air defense systems at concerningly low levels.
Between Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the blows traded between Israel and Iran, "I'm not familiar with another instance in which we've had this level of a consumption rate" of missiles and interceptors, said Jon Ludwigson, director of the Government Accountability Office's contracting and national security acquisitions team.
More: Israel may run low on missile interceptors, putting US in a 'bind'
Adm. James Kilby, the chief of Naval operations, told Congress in early May, "Many of our munition inventories still fall below the total munition requirement."
"Munitions transfers and expenditures related to the war in Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas conflict," and Houthi attacks on U.S. ships in the Red Sea have added up to $2.3 billion, according to Kilby's testimony.
The Navy is also using SM-3s - Navy interceptors that can take down ballistic missiles - at an "alarming rate," Kilby said at a June 24 Senate budget hearing.
The United States also used Patriot air defense systems to defend Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar from Iranian ballistic missiles in an attack Iran launched in retaliation for the U.S. bombing of three of its nuclear facilities on June 21.
The Trump administration used more than $200 million worth of munitions in the first three weeks of Operation Rough Rider, its two-month attack on Houthi forces in Yemen, the New York Times reported.
Israel burned through missile interceptors at a rapid clip to take down projectiles fired by Iran during the 12-day war, leaving its stockpiles depleted, according to reports. Brandan Buck, a research fellow at the Cato Institute, previously told USA TODAY that if the United States replenishes those interceptors, it would need to draw from other stockpiles.