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Patriot missile defense in Europe

U.S. Patriot stockpiles across Europe have hit a point described as beyond critical, with the Iran war reportedly draining around 65% of available interceptors. This depletion leaves American and NATO forces with very limited capacity to counter a Russian ballistic-missile attack. A U.S. defense official cautioned that NATO might be forced to take punch after punch in the mouth if Russia were to strike. The core issue remains ammunition rather than launchers; several European nations possess Patriot systems but lack sufficient interceptors to fire them. Replenishing these stocks through new European production will take years to make a meaningful difference. CIA Director John Ratcliffe's recent trip to Moscow reportedly included a direct warning against attacking NATO. The strategic reality is becoming clear: what happens when America has enough missile defenses for one major war but finds itself committed to two? Europe is learning that owning the launcher is considerably less useful when the ammunition cupboard is empty. Source: AP / Writer: Oliver

2w

Jolyon@jolyon

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Patriot missile defense in Europe

U.S. Patriot stockpiles across Europe have hit a point described as beyond critical, with the Iran war reportedly draining around 65% of available interceptors. This depletion leaves American and NATO forces with very limited capacity to counter a Russian ballistic-missile attack. A U.S. defense official cautioned that NATO might be forced to take punch after punch in the mouth if Russia were to strike. The core issue remains ammunition rather than launchers; several European nations possess Patriot systems but lack sufficient interceptors to fire them. Replenishing these stocks through new European production will take years to make a meaningful difference. CIA Director John Ratcliffe's recent trip to Moscow reportedly included a direct warning against attacking NATO. The strategic reality is becoming clear: what happens when America has enough missile defenses for one major war but finds itself committed to two? Europe is learning that owning the launcher is considerably less useful when the ammunition cupboard is empty. Source: AP / Writer: Oliver

2w