A top United States Navy admiral has warned of the American weapons stockpile being depleted by continuing to send weapons to Europe and the Middle East.
President Joe Biden's administration has been steadily supplying Ukraine and Israel with billions of dollars of weapons from the U.S. conflicts to aid in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Admiral Samuel Paparo, who leads the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said at an event on Tuesday that it would be "dishonest" to claim that the shipments were not utilizing weapons that could be used elsewhere.
Paparo expressed concerns that American forces in the Pacific could be impacted due to weapons like Patriot missiles being shipped overseas, pointing in particular to regional threats posed by China.
"With some of the Patriots that have been employed, some of the air-to-air missiles that have been employed, it's now eating into stocks, and to say otherwise would be dishonest," Paparo said, according to Reuters.
"Inherently, it imposes costs on the readiness of America to respond in the Indo-Pacific region, which is the most stressing theater for the quantity and quality of munitions, because the PRC [People's Republican of China] is the most capable potential adversary in the world," he added.
Newsweek reached out to the Department of Defense and the White House via email for comment on Tuesday evening.
Paparo's remarks come about two months before control of the White House and the federal government changes hands with the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
Trump and many of his allies have expressed concerns about threats from China while being notably less willing than Biden to continue providing military aid to Ukraine. However, the president-elect has made it clear that he intends to keep supplying Israel.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that the Biden administration would be sending an additional $275 million in weapons to Ukraine just days after the current president authorized Kyiv to use U.S.-supplied long-range missiles for strikes inside Russia.
Ukraine reportedly launched eight Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles into Russia on Tuesday, with only two intercepted. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov suggested that Russia could retaliate with nuclear weapons if it feels that its "sovereignty and territorial integrity" is threatened. However, similar warnings have come and gone throughout the war.
The new aid package, authorized under presidential drawdown authority, reportedly includes air defenses like High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds, Javelin anti-armor missiles and a range of additional equipment and spare parts.
Before Trump's inauguration, the Biden administration faces a tight deadline to expedite $7.1 billion in weapons from Pentagon stockpiles. The administration is also working to disburse its share of a $50 billion loan to Ukraine, funded by frozen Russian assets, according to the AP.
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Aila Slisco is a Newsweek night reporter based in New York. Her focus is on reporting national politics, where she ... Read more