Worrisome prospects: US and Israeli attack on Iran may leave Ukraine without ammunition for air defense - media

The Pentagon is planning "accelerated" munitions production due to the risk of stockpile depletion.

Limited stockpiles of critical defense munitions to protect US troops and allies from Tehran's missiles are likely to affect a military operation against Iran, officials and analysts say.

The United States and Israel exhausted their stockpiles of interceptors at an unprecedented rate during the 12-day war last year, when Iran fired hundreds of missiles at Israel.

The US military is now assessing the likelihood that Iran's response will make it difficult to supply these critical munitions while it tries to replenish them, with implications not only for the war in Ukraine but also for Washington's plans for a possible conflict with China or russia, the Financial Times reports.

Some US officials have expressed concern about the stockpile of ammunition for the THAAD missile defense system. Last year, the United States spent up to 150 of these missiles to protect Israel, and since the system was commissioned around 2010, less than 650 units have been ordered.

According to Stacie Pettyjohn, director of the defense program at the Center for a New American Security, in the event of simultaneous large-scale missile and drone attacks by Iran on the United States and Israel, it is possible to "use up a year's supply" of this critical munition in just one or two days

At the same time, the official source noted that it is unlikely that Iranian missiles will deplete the US stockpile of defense munitions. However, the discussion is centered on the need to preserve these munitions for other regions, which could force Israel to take additional measures to protect itself while US forces protect its forces and allies.

The correspondents add that the problem with the production of munitions has arisen due to unstable "demand signals," or the lack of a long-term commitment from the Pentagon to purchase them.

Due to the absence of multi-year contracts, defense companies had no incentive to increase production, so now the US is seeking to "accelerate" the production of key munitions by signing agreements with leading US manufacturers.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on the morning of February 28, Israeli troops launched a series of strikes on Iran. In particular, there were explosions in Tehran. Also under attack were the facilities of the Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon.