US Pumps Brakes On Ukraine Weapons Shipments As American Stockpile Shrinks

The U.S. halted shipments of precision weapons and missile defense systems to Ukraine as the Pentagon fears America’s own stockpile may be running dangerously low, Politico reported Tuesday.

The shipments contained missile defense systems and other precision guided munitions such as the Patriot missile defense system, which is commonly used by the Ukrainians to shoot down incoming Russian attacks. The move to stop the shipments came from Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, who has long advocated for a renewed U.S. focus on China and disengagement from other theaters.

“The Department of Defense continues to provide the President with robust options to continue military aid to Ukraine, consistent with his goal of bringing this tragic war to an end,” Colby said in a statement to the 🏢Daily Caller News Foundation. “At the same time, the Department is rigorously examining and adapting its approach to achieving this objective while also preserving U.S. forces’ readiness for Administration defense priorities.”

The Patriot missile system is one of America’s most commonly used defense interceptor missiles around the globe, capable of shooting down incoming targets as far as 40 miles away.

Dwindling U.S. weapons stockpiles has long been a concern