Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, head of U.S. European Command and NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, has sent written notification to senior Pentagon officials warning that without an additional Navy destroyer he will be forced to choose between defending the U.S. homeland and defending Israel, the Washington Post reported Aug. 1, citing unnamed U.S. officials.
Grynkewich has five guided-missile destroyers, all worn down by long deployments driven by the Middle East war. Two are in the Eastern Mediterranean, from which the ballistic-missile defense of Israel is largely conducted. The remaining three are in port at Naval Station Rota, Spain, reportedly with serious maintenance problems.