The U.S. Defense Department has stopped shipments of some munitions promised to Ukraine by the Biden Administration over concerns that Pentagon stocks are running low. Politico reported late yesterday that the decision was driven by Elbridge Colby, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, and was made after a review of Pentagon munitions stockpiles, leading to concerns that the total number of artillery rounds, air defense missiles and precision munitions was sinking, according to three people familiar with the issue. The initial decision to withhold some aid promised during the Biden administration came in early June, according to Politico’s sources, but is only taking effect now.
Colby said officials continue “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.”
“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,” Colby said in a statement, reported AP. Not mentioned is that Colby has been arguing for years that the U.S. military should reduce its commitments in Europe and Southwest Asia in order to focus more directly on China. Numerous reports and analyses have emerged over the last few years estimating that in a war with China, the Pentagon’s stokes of long range precision weapons would run out in as little as 10-12 days.
