Among the munitions the US is withholding are Patriot missiles
US officials have confirmed that the Pentagon has halted the delivery of some air defense missiles and other munitions to Ukraine, a step being taken over concerns that US stockpiles have gotten too low.
“This decision was made to put America’s interests first following a DoD review of our nation’s military support and assistance to other countries across the globe,” said White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly.
Administration officials did not specify which weapons shipments have been halted, but reports say it applies to 155mm artillery rounds, GMLRS munitions for HIMARS rocket systems, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, AIM-7 air-to-air missiles, Hellfire missiles, and munitions for Patriot air defense systems.
The US recently used Patriot missiles to repel an Iranian attack on the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which was retaliation for the US bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said that he believed the defense of the base in Qatar was “the largest single Patriot engagement in US military history.”
POLITICO, which first reported the halt of shipments to Ukraine, said the decision was taken at the direction of Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon’s policy chief, who is a China hawk and wants the US to focus on preparing for a war over Taiwan.
“The Department of Defense continues to provide the President with robust options to continue military aid to Ukraine, consistent with his goal of bringing this tragic war to an end,” Colby said in a statement on Tuesday.
“At the same time, the Department is rigorously examining and adapting its approach to achieving this objective while also preserving US forces’ readiness for Administration defense priorities,” he added.
The weapons shipments being paused were previously approved by the Biden administration. During his final months in office, President Biden approved an enormous amount of military aid for Ukraine that would take years to be delivered.
Biden approved the weapons shipments under two types of aid mechanisms: the Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows the US to ship weapons directly from Pentagon stockpiles, and the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which authorizes the US to purchase arms for Ukraine.
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