A key U.S. ally is now dangerously exposed after months of President Donald Trump’s “stymied” standoff, according to a new report.
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A top U.S. general in Europe privately warned the Pentagon that he lacks enough naval forces to protect Israel from the looming threat of ballistic missiles, according to reporting by The Washington Post.
The warning comes as Trump’s naval blockade of Iranian ports in response to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz uses up Navy destroyers.
“Being on a wartime footing is going to take a toll in terms of readiness and munitions inventory levels,” Tom Karako, the director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told The Post. “Now the question is: What’s the strategy here?”
General Alexus Grynkewich, the head of U.S. European Command, said in a written notification to senior Pentagon officials that he’ll be forced to choose between defending the U.S. homeland or Israel if he doesn’t get another Navy destroyer, according to The Post.
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U.S. naval destroyers have radar equipment and are armed with missiles that have been used to down missiles shot at Israel by Iran and Houthi militants in Yemen, The Post noted.
However, Trump’s blockade of Iranian ports has strained Navy resources needed to maintain its destroyers, according to The Post.
General Grynkewich and U.S. European Command are tasked with protecting the U.S. from the threat of Russian ballistic missiles. They also have to keep forces ready in case of a Russian incursion into NATO territory, according to The Post.
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