The Wall Street Journal reports, citing US officials, that the heavy drain on US munitions from the war on Iran raises deep concerns over the US’s ability to deter alleged potential threats from China and Russia.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to the Journal, oversaw the movement of munitions to the Middle East using an “orders book” under longstanding Pentagon procedures. It added that the cuts were so deep that US inventories in Europe of PAC-3 Patriot air defence interceptors and ATACMS missiles were deemed “beyond critical”.
The US and Iran mostly halted direct attacks in recent weeks, but refilling weapons stocks from countries like Japan, South Korea and Germany could take years, according to the Wall Street Journal report.
MNA