The article notes that the invasion of Iraq and the overlong mission in Afghanistan were draining defeats that allowed rivals, especially China, to consolidate their positions.
And following Russia carried out a large-scale invasion of Ukraine, the nature of armed conflicts changed. Drones and missiles have become powerful tools, and the United States and its allies are rapidly running out of them.
Over the past two weeks, Russia has launched hundreds of missiles and drones into Ukraine to destroy weapons-producing industrial facilities and deplete Ukraine’s limited anti-aircraft defense missile reserves.
“Once they’re over, Vladimir Putin will have good reason to believe he can break out of the current stalemate on the battlefield and achieve his primary goal of conquering Ukraine,” Bloomberg noted.
Not only that, but Russia has more than doubled its production of cruise and ballistic missiles to regarding 100 per month. It has also begun manufacturing its own version of Iran’s low-cost Shahed attack drones.
To shoot down all these missiles, Ukraine needs much more complex and expensive systems that might take years, not weeks, to produce. However, the United States and Europe do not have enough such systems.
The US cannot control the actions of others. But the key decisions on whether to provide Ukraine with what it really needs to stop Russia’s autocratic expansion, or to ramp up production of the missile and air defense systems needed to counter new military threats, must be made by Washington.
The need for America’s missile and air defense capabilities is increasing in other areas of hostilities as well.
Attacks by Hamas hitmen once morest Israel continue. Even Israel’s Iron Dome system is not capable of taking them all down. Washington has previously indicated it is replenishing Israel’s stockpile of precision-guided missiles, artillery shells and spare parts, but supplies are limited.
Reuters/Scanpix/The followingmath of the Russian attack
US needs may increase even more if the situation in the Middle East escalates, noted Bloomberg.
“The US cannot control the actions of others. But the main decisions, whether to provide Ukraine with what it really needs to stop Russia’s autocratic expansion, or to increase the production of missiles and air defense systems needed to counter new military threats, must be made by Washington,” the author of the article said.
He added that the war in Ukraine will continue for at least another year, so to support Kyiv, it will be necessary not only to find funds, but also to significantly increase the number of missiles and their range.
According to journalists, the US also needs a more active plan of action in the Middle East in relation to Israel and Iran.
AFP/Scanpix/Israeli military
“The US is still a superpower. If it fails in Ukraine or in the Middle East, if it allows unions in Europe and the Far East to crumble, it will be a matter of choice,” concludes Bloomberg.
There will be no more missiles for the Patriot systems
On Saturday, The New York Times reported that White House and Pentagon officials have warned that the United States will soon be unable to supply Ukraine with missiles for the previously transferred Patriot systems.
It is reported that the price of these missile interceptors can reach from 2 to 4 million. dollars per unit.
There is now a very real danger that Ukraine might run out of its stockpile of anti-aircraft ammunition in the coming weeks
Patriot systems are effective once morest ballistic missiles. Since the first Patriot battery entered combat service in Ukraine, these air defense systems have changed the course of the battle for the skies.
In a commentary for the publication, one major of the Ukrainian army emphasized that thanks to foreign partners, Ukraine managed to create a shield over the country, and if the partners turn their backs, the country will return to the beginning of the war, when people did not come out of hiding, and the Russians tried to turn cities into ruins.
Wikipedia.org photo/Patriot air defense system
The US analytical center “Atlantic Council” has signaled that there is currently a very real danger that Ukraine may run out of its anti-aircraft defense ammunition stocks in the coming weeks.
It is speculated that this is due to the fact that further US and EU military aid to Ukraine has begun to stall due to “political obstacles” at this time.
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2024-07-07 09:11:14
