Washington has warned its European allies — including the United Kingdom, Poland, Lithuania, and Estonia — to expect significant delays in the delivery of American weapons, as the US is rushing to replenish stockpiles depleted by the war in Iran.
It was reported by the Financial Times, citing nine people familiar with the matter.
The Pentagon has informed the countries that they should expect serious delays regarding several missile systems. Two people noted that there were also discussions about postponing deliveries to Asia.
The delays are partly due to serious concerns about US stockpile levels, given the large volume of weapons used in Iran over the past two months. The US military has already been forced to redeploy weapons from other regions, particularly the Indo-Pacific region, to make up for the shortfall.
However, the war in Iran has also heightened concerns about whether the US has sufficient weapons stockpiles to deter Beijing or defeat China in any future conflict over Taiwan.
In addition to causing alarm across Europe, these delays are bad news for Ukraine amid concerns about US support after four years of war since russia’s full-scale invasion.
The delays will affect ammunition for HIMARS, NASAMS, and other missile systems. The HIMARS used in Ukraine are highly mobile missile systems manufactured by Lockheed Martin. NASAMS are medium-range surface-to-air missile systems jointly produced by Raytheon and the Norwegian company Kongsberg.
The Pentagon stated that it is “carefully evaluating new requests for equipment from partners as well as existing arms transfer cases to ensure they meet operational needs” but declined to provide further details, citing the "operationally sensitive nature of these matters".
The delays come at a tense moment in transatlantic relations. President Donald Trump has sharply criticized allies for not doing more to assist the US in its campaign against Iran. Some experts noted that the delays are not intended to punish Europe but reflect US concerns about its own stockpiles.
"The Pentagon may now need to fight a long war in the Middle East and it's also desperate to shore up deterrence in the Indo-Pacific," said Tom Wright, a former official in President Joe Biden’s administration who now works at the Brookings Institution.
On Friday, Trump dismissed concerns about stockpiles: “All over the world, we have inventory, and we can take that if we need it.”
Security experts said that US allies in Asia should also be prepared for delays. For example, Japan and South Korea rely on various types of American weapons, including Patriot missile interceptors, for their defense.
Nasams systems were not widely used in the conflict with Iran, but the FT reported that the US is preparing a record-breaking arms sale package for Taiwan, which will include Nasams systems and Patriot interceptors. The portion of the package related to Nasams is valued at USD 6 billion.
“Allies in Asia are likely underestimating the impact that US munition shortfalls will have on them and how long the impact will last,” said Christopher Johnston, a former senior Pentagon official at The Asia Group.
Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of the Indo-Pacific Command, said last month that major defense contractors would need up to two years to ramp up production to the levels needed to overcome the stockpile shortfall.
US investors are increasing their investments in the defense sector as global conflicts fuel a spending boom.
Washington has previously delayed weapons deliveries to allies. Biden suspended deliveries of interceptors for Patriot and NASAMS systems to other countries in 2024 to expedite their delivery to Ukraine. But the latest warning to European allies is more serious due to the broader scale of the problem.
US allies and partners using NASAMS include Taiwan, Norway, Finland, Spain, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Indonesia, Australia, Hungary, Ukraine, Denmark, Qatar, and Oman. According to Lockheed Martin, 14 US partners use the HIMARS system. These include Taiwan, Ukraine, Poland, Estonia, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates.
The strain on supplies is already taking a toll on Ukraine. A senior Ukrainian official stated that deliveries of American weapons to Kyiv have been delayed since the start of the war with Iran. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, due to delivery delays, Patriot launchers were sometimes left empty during russian missile strikes.
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