LONDON (AP) — A large number of U.S. Patriot air defense missiles have been diverted from Europe to the Middle East as Washington shifts resources toward the war with Iraq, leaving a worrying gap in European air defenses against Russia, U.S. defense officials told The Associated Press.
The war with Iran is entering its fourth week, with the United States deploying thousands of troops to the region and forcing the Pentagon to seek an additional $200 billion in funding. Meanwhile, Iran has launched missiles and drones in the Gulf, including at U.S. bases and resort hotels.
The Turkish Defense Ministry and three U.S. officials said Iran has launched multiple ballistic missiles at Türkiye since the war began and that two Patriot missile systems were shipped to Turkey from Germany. U.S. officials say missiles from the Patriot system have been moved from across Europe to bolster air defenses in the Middle East. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity discussing sensitive military matters.
Stockpiles of Patriot missiles in Europe and elsewhere are “absolutely” dwindling as a result of the Iran war, one official said, adding that the situation was “very concerning.”
Asked to comment on the missiles being moved, White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt said in a statement to The Associated Press: “The U.S. military has sufficient ammunition, munitions and weapons inventories to achieve the objectives of Operation Epic Fury and other objectives set by President Trump.”
NATO still has “ample” capabilities to defend Europe, one of three U.S. officials said, adding that part of the reason the U.S. has assets in different places is to project power around the world.
Patriot used to counter low-tech Shahed drones
Patriot is a surface-to-air missile system first deployed in the 1980s that can target aircraft, cruise missiles and short-range ballistic missiles.
A U.S. official said the war in Ukraine has shown that the Patriot system can effectively deal with a variety of threats, including maneuverable hypersonic missiles such as Russia’s “Dagger”.
But in the Middle East, the United States and its allies are using Patriot drones “to counter threats that don’t need them,” one official said, such as against Iran’s relatively cheap and low-tech Shahd drones.
The official said Patriots should be used to protect high-end ground systems — such as U.S. precision strike missiles launched from HIMARS launchers in the Middle East — from enemy attacks.
As Russia continues its war in Ukraine, Patriots are being redeployed and some European countries near Russia face repercussions, including Russian drone incursions from the Baltic states into Poland and Romania. European officials say Russia is waging a hybrid war on Europe that includes sabotage and cyber attacks.
The U.S. defense official said all that is being withdrawn from Europe are capabilities that “cannot respond to Russia” if Moscow decides to take advantage of the opportunity.
Strengthening the defense of NATO’s southern flank
Turkey’s Defense Ministry says NATO defense systems have intercepted three ballistic missiles fired from Iran in Turkish airspace since President Donald Trump launched war against Iran on February 28. Türkiye’s Defense Ministry said a Patriot missile system had been transported from Germany’s Ramstein Air Base to Incirlik Air Base, where U.S. and NATO troops are stationed.
Turkey said last week that NATO had deployed another Patriot system in the southeastern province of Malatya, which houses a NATO radar station. Gen. Alexus Grinkovich, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Europe, also said on Wednesday that some European air defense capabilities had been transferred to the Middle East.
Capt. Rhian Momsen, a spokesperson for U.S. European Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in Europe, did not comment on the shortage and said she could not discuss the missile’s movement or location for operational security reasons.
Ukraine has repeatedly asked for more Patriot missiles and systems, and this week President Zelensky warned that Kyiv would “certainly” face a shortage as a result of the U.S. war against Iran.
A German military official said he had not seen any information that Ukraine was underoperating because of the war in the Middle East. But he said shortages could emerge in the near future, ultimately weakening Ukraine’s endurance and capabilities. He also requested anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.
Zelensky said in an interview with the BBC that the United States produces 60-65 Patriot missiles every month and approximately 700-800 missiles per year, of which 803 were used on the first day of the Middle East war.
The United States used about 325 Patriot missiles in the first 96 hours of the war with Iran, according to the Foreign Policy Institute, a Pennsylvania-based security think tank. The total number used by Washington and its partners, including Gulf states, is about 943, the report said.
Drone counter-drone systems now deployed
Shortly after the war in the Middle East broke out, the Associated Press learned that the United States had limited effective anti-drone defense capabilities in the Middle East, but was planning to deploy the Merops anti-drone system.
The Merops system can be mounted on the back of a pickup truck and when it attacks a drone it can shoot down the drone more cheaply than using a missile.
Officials say the U.S. response to strikes against Iran’s Shahd drones has been “disappointing,” especially since the Shahd is a basic version of the same drone that Russia has been improving and updating in its war in Ukraine.
The United States currently has a “limited number” of Merops counter-drone systems deployed in the Middle East, a U.S. defense official said. More systems are under construction and training is taking place in the Middle East, they added.
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Michelle L. Price and Konstantin Toropin in Washington, DC, and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Türkiye, contributed to this report.