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Stocks of several U.S. missile systems in Europe, particularly Patriot interceptors, have fallen “below critical levels” because of the war that began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, The Associated Press (AP) reported Thursday.
An unnamed U.S. defense official stationed in Europe and a NATO official told AP that the U.S. military is facing a shortage of advanced missile interceptor systems in Europe “beyond the critical threshold.”
The sources said the shortage was largely caused by the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.
The U.S. defense official said the most concerning shortage involved Patriot missile interceptors, while the NATO official said Patriot stocks among U.S. and NATO forces in Europe were low.
The U.S. military in Europe “definitely” does not have enough Patriot missiles to stop a possible prolonged ballistic missile attack, the defense official said.
The official also said U.S. defense capacity against a stray Russian missile would be “very limited.”
The United States reportedly used more than 850 Tomahawk missiles and more than 1,000 Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missiles in the first month of the war.
It also fired more than 1,300 tactical ballistic missiles, according to the report.
An analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said the global stock of Patriot missiles, estimated at 2,200 before the war, fell below 827.
The stock of THAAD missiles, previously estimated at 452, fell below 278, according to the analysis.
The U.S. Defense Department announced in April that it had reached a framework agreement with Boeing and Lockheed Martin to triple production capacity for critical missile components.
Claims that U.S. ammunition stocks had fallen to concerning levels have been widely reported by U.S. media in recent months.
Senior officials, including U.S. President Donald Trump, have denied the claims.
The Pentagon did not comment on MQ-9 Reaper drones but said earlier claims that the military’s ammunition stocks had declined did not reflect the truth.
Trump also said there was no problem with U.S. stocks and that ammunition production was continuing rapidly.
He argued that any decline in stockpiles stemmed from military aid provided to Ukraine during former President Joe Biden’s term.
“The real reason is Biden’s $300 billion in support for Ukraine,” Trump said.
Senior Air Force official David Tabor told the Senate in May that 135 UAVs remained.
According to The Washington Post, unnamed U.S. officials said 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones were lost after being used intensively around the Strait of Hormuz during the war with Iran.
The sources said the figure corresponded to about 25% of the MQ-9 Reaper fleet.
They said not all of the lost drones were shot down by Iran, adding that some crashed after communication links with their operators were cut.
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