The Department of Defense on Monday admitted it is now having to send back to Israel some of the weapons it sent from its stocks there to Europe for Ukraine, while insisting it could supply both.
“We withdrew 155 [shells] from the stockpile in Israel for our forces in [European Command] and now we are sending that back to Israel for their use,” a senior defense official told reporters during Pentagon press conference.
In January, the Pentagon first acknowledged that in order to supply Ukraine with 155 mm artillery shells for its ground war with Russia, it dipped into its stockpile in Israel.
The stockpile is for U.S. forces in the region, but also for Israel forces in emergencies such as responding to the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks. In the aftermath of those terrorist attacks, the U.S. flew more weapons to Israel.
The New York Times reported “half” of the shells in the stockpile in Israel were shipped to Europe last winter.
File/Ukrainian servicemen receive the delivery of FGM-148 Javelins, American man-portable anti-tank missile provided by U.S. to Ukraine as part of a military support, at Kyiv’s airport Boryspil on February 11,2022. (SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty)
But now, the Pentagon is admitting some of those weapons are being sent back, as Israel prepares for a ground invasion in the Gaza Strip against Hamas.
Pentagon officials were vague on the amount being sent back to Israel, but said “much” of what was sent to Europe has been “redirected and provided to Israeli forces.” Last week, Axios reported the number of 155mm shells being sent back to Israel were in the “tens of thousands.”
The Pentagon official also said the U.S. is assessing its stocks “globally” to see what could be made readily available for Israel and Ukraine.
“The United States can walk and chew gum at the same time,” the official said, adding:
So we’re going to continue to ensure that Ukraine has what it needs to defend its territory. And at the same time we’re ensuring that Israel has what it needs. Two very different operational environments with different levels of need and consultation. And we’re continuing to prioritize both.
However, Army leaders have already publicly expressed concerns about being able to meet demand from both Israel and Ukraine, however.
As previously reported by Breitbart News, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said earlier this month that without more funding from Congress, it would be difficult to expand weapons production and pay for them. She said:
One thing that is really important in terms of the munitions in particular, and our ability to support both potentially the Israelis and the Ukrainians simultaneously, is additional funding from Congress to be able to increase our capacity, in terms of our capacity to expand production and then to also pay for the munitions themselves.
While experts and officials claim that the two countries need different weapons, both Israel and Ukraine need 155mm artillery shells in their respective wars.
