Ousted General Warned of Critical US Missile Defense Shortage Before Iran War
· World · CBS News, CNN, The Independent
In late December, two months before the US conflict with Iran began, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George warned that the service was critically short on missile defense munitions. According to US officials, George stated in the Pentagon's Global Force Management Allocation Plan that stockpiles of THAAD batteries and Patriot missiles would remain strategically low until 2030. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth subsequently ousted George in April while the war with Iran was underway. Officials noted the shortage stemmed from transferring Patriots to Ukraine after Russia's 2022 invasion, expending munitions to defend Israel, and reduced defense industrial base capacity. The US military possesses adequate offensive munitions like Joint Direct Attack Munitons, but maintains low strategic-risk levels for advanced air defense interceptors.
Why it matters
Persistent shortages in THAAD and Patriot interceptors expose critical vulnerabilities in US air defense capabilities amid ongoing active conflicts in the Middle East.
Read the original report — CBS News
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