The Iranian strikes that killed three U.S. soldiers in Jordan show how quickly Iran’s war-fighting skills have evolved, as the Pentagon runs low on interceptors.
The U.S. war in Iran has depleted stocks of key air defense weapons, including ballistic missile interceptors.
The U.S. and its partners depend on Patriot interceptors to shoot down incoming ballistic missiles. But Russia and Iran are firing their weapons at rates far higher than Patriots can be produced.
Military leaders have reportedly warned of shrinking stockpiles of interceptors.
President Trump put off plans to escalate the fighting in part because of dwindling stockpiles of interceptor missiles, American officials said.
Ukraine is running out of American-made Patriot air-defense interceptors, and is pleading for more.
Amid hostilities with Iran, the American military expended far more advanced interceptors to protect Israel than Israeli forces did, according to Defense Department data.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated Tuesday that the Golden Dome missile defense system will cost about $1.2 trillion to develop, deploy and operate over the next 20 years. In a 12-page report, the CBO stated that acquisition costs for a national missile defense system would total more than $1 trillion. That includes funding for interceptor layers, a space-based missile warning and tracking system, research and development and improvements in the system’s integration and performance. Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5874629-golden-dome-missile-defense-cost/ #GoldenDome #IronDome #Trump #Pentagon #DefenseDepartment #USMilitary
Israel sent the United Arab Emirates an Iron Dome air defense system with troops to operate it early in the war with Iran , two Israeli officials and one U.S. official tell Axios. Why it matters: The military, security and intelligence cooperation between Israel and the UAE has reached new heights during the war. The unprecedented deployment of the Iron Dome system during the war was not previously made public. Driving the news: Since the beginning of the war, the UAE has been targeted by Iran more than any other country in the region. - According to the Emirati ministry of defense, Iran fired around 550 ballistic and cruise missiles and more than 2,200 drones at the UAE. - Most of the missiles and drones were intercepted, but some…