The US military is “critically” short of modern interceptor missiles for Patriot anti-aircraft systems in Europe, writes Associated Press (AP). In this regard, the news agency's interlocutors in the Pentagon and NATO expressed concerns about the vulnerability of the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance.
In Europe, the U.S. military “certainly” does not have enough Patriot missiles to counter a possible massive ballistic missile attack, and its ability to defend against one such strike is “very limited,” according to an anonymous U.S. official.
The AP attributes the missile shortage to the US operation in Iran, as well as earlier Patriot deliveries to Ukraine. However, some countries, such as Germany, have bought these expensive systems but find themselves in the “ridiculous” situation of not having ammunition for them, Ed Arnold, a senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defense Studies, a military think tank in London, told the AP.
“U.S. missile stockpiles in Europe have been transferred to the Middle East, where the United States and its Gulf allies have deployed significant numbers of interceptor missiles, including Patriot, to shoot down Iranian drones and missiles,” the AP said.
The biggest expense came in the conflict with Iran, which consumed 65 percent of America's Patriots, or about 1,500 of the country's 2,330 interceptors, retired Marine Colonel Mark Cancian told The Associated Press.
The U.S. military in Europe is also facing a critical shortage of ATACMS medium-range missiles, the anonymous AP sources said. However, the overall situation with ammunition in Europe is “not as dire” as with air defense, since some European armies have their own offensive missiles, they add.
At the same time, commenting on the situation with the Pentagon's ammunition, US Army Colonel Martin O'Donnell, a NATO spokesman, told the AP that the number of Patriot missiles in Europe “is clearly not critical.” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell also stressed the “falsehood” of claims about ammunition shortages in the United States.
Europe's first Patriot missile factory is due to open in Germany in September, with deliveries possibly beginning early next year, the news agency notes. According to a Pentagon spokesman, the first deliveries should be made to countries that have already placed orders – Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and Spain.
According to GlobalSecurity.org, the Patriot can shoot down aerial targets ranging from aircraft to missiles. Ammunition for this system has different modifications; they can be aimed at the target in different ways: using commands from the operator, independently, using the target image from a camera or through radar systems. Air defense missiles can hit targets at a distance of up to 160 km and fly at speeds 5 times faster than sound.
