The United States is suspending the sale of weapons, including Patriot air defense systems, to some European countries.
This is reported by The Atlantic magazine.
According to the sources of the publication, the first sign that something has changed in the US approach to selling military equipment to Europe was the approach of Denmark to a decision on the purchase of Patriot air defense systems capable of intercepting ballistic missiles.
For several weeks, American and French negotiators persistently sought to sign the deal, but as the deadline approached, the Pentagon suddenly lost interest in it.
"We could not understand why. Everything seemed obvious, but they were just not interested," said one of the contractors who followed the discussions.
Administration officials familiar with the conversation told the publication that in a telephone conversation between the contractor and the Department of State, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby said he did not believe in the value of some weapons sales to foreign countries.
He said he did not like the idea of selling Patriot systems to Denmark because they were in short supply and should be reserved for use in the event of a U.S. need.
The statements surprised some Department of State officials, but they soon learned that the problem was not limited to Denmark. Current and former administration officials said the Pentagon had identified some types of weapons as scarce and was beginning to block new requests for these systems from Europe.
The interlocutors did not say how long the Patriot air defense system sale block would last, how many types of weapons were on the list, or whether it could be expanded. However, exceptions to the sale of these types of weapons would be granted extremely rarely.
Concerns about the Patriot shortage have been around for months: according to the Department of Defense officials, the US has only about 25% of the interceptors needed to implement the Pentagon's war plans.
However, The Atlantic writes that there is no real equivalent of the Patriot in Europe. This makes the system valuable and in high demand on a continent that has become increasingly aware of the risks of air attacks. In particular, in the context of the violation of Estonian airspace by russian military aircraft.
"If the blockade is prolonged, it risks creating new divisions with allies, weakening their defenses at a time when russia poses an imminent threat, and reducing US military influence on the continent," the publication says.
The publication also notes that the change in supply priorities will result in the loss of billions of dollars in public and private revenues, the reduction of jobs in the defense industry, restrictions on production, and the cessation of research and development.
"The Trump administration appears poised to prioritize replenishing U.S. stockpiles over relations with longtime allies. However, it would be unusual for such a key decision to be made without extensive discussion and evaluation by various government agencies, especially the Department of State," the publication writes.
Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson called any suggestion that Elbridge Colby was secretly making policy decisions absurd, adding that he "lives and breathes collaboration with his colleagues on the interagency team and the War Department (the Department of War. - ed.)."
At the same time, the Department of State adviser Michael Needham rejected the suggestion that the department had been caught off guard.
"Anyone trying to fabricate stories about a rift between the Department of State and the Department of War is doing so because they oppose President Trump's Make America Great Again agenda," Needham told the publication.
Officials and observers of the Trump administration say the shift is in line with Colby's belief that only China has the ambition, resources and military might to dethrone the United States as the world's superpower.
Colby believes the only way to stop his quest for global dominance is for the United States to invest its maximum in ensuring security in the Western Pacific, even at the cost of the security of European countries.
The publication noted that several European countries have sent some of their best weapons to Ukraine to protect it from a russian invasion, and in return have bought American weapons to replenish their own stockpiles.
The war in Ukraine has depleted stocks not only in the United States but also throughout Europe, leading to discussions about how best to rebuild the defense-industrial complex base.
One of the systems most in demand by Ukraine was the Patriot system, which Denmark wanted to buy.
The active use of the system in Ukraine’s war against russia and Israel in the Middle East has only fueled concerns about the stockpile and led to the current export ban.
“It undermines the security of our European allies, but this administration places a much lower priority on their security than previous ones,” Cancian said.
Supporters point out that foreign military sales help fund expanded production lines and research and development of new weapons systems.
They say that, for example, Boeing was able to produce the F-15EX, an upgraded version of the fighter F-15, because Saudi Arabia has ordered a batch of new planes worth billions of dollars.
And exports have strong support in Congress, where lawmakers value the jobs it creates in their districts. That could eventually be enough of an argument to revive sales.
At the same time, The Atlantic writes, Cara Abercrombie, the US assistant secretary of defense for acquisition in the Biden administration, argues that even if blocking sales only leads to a slowdown, allies will inevitably start looking to other suppliers.
“If you are a European country that is very concerned about the possibility of russian missiles or drones hitting your airspace, you want to make sure that you have a sufficient supply of interceptors. And if you are told that the current two-year wait will now become five years, you will be very motivated to look for other options,” she said.
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