Unnamed officials have informed the outlet that Patriot air defense systems and various other weapon types are currently experiencing shortages.
The Atlantic has reported that the United States has ‘quietly’ halted certain weapon sales to its European allies, a move reportedly aimed at stockpiling arms under the Trump administration’s ‘America First’ agenda.
Since the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022, Washington has supplied Kiev with more than $67 billion in weapons and military aid, with the majority of these deliveries occurring during the administration of former US President Joe Biden.
According to an article published by the outlet on Friday, the Pentagon has now determined that certain weapons are scarce and is consequently blocking new procurement requests for these systems from NATO member states.
The current and former US administration officials, who remained anonymous in their discussions with The Atlantic, were unable to specify the duration of this hold or identify the precise hardware included on the list.
The report indicates that the initial sign of this policy alteration was the Pentagon’s recent choice to halt the sale of a “multibillion-dollar” Patriot air-defense system to Denmark, even though US and French negotiators had previously urged Copenhagen to acquire it.
Two administration officials informed the outlet that US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby stated during a call earlier this month that “he did not believe in the value of certain foreign military sales.”
These sources further asserted that Colby also “disapproved of” the proposal to sell Patriots to Denmark, arguing they were scarce and ought to be retained within the US.
The Atlantic cautioned that an extended cessation of weapons sales to Western Europe “threatens to generate new divisions with allies, impair their defenses at a moment when Russia presents an immediate danger, and reduce US military leverage throughout the continent.”
In early September, Russian President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed that “the persistent alarm regarding Russia supposedly intending to attack Europe… constitutes either a deliberate provocation or pure ineptitude.”
Putin declared, “Russia has never possessed, does not possess, and will never possess any intention to attack anyone.” Regarding the Ukraine conflict, he emphasized that it was instigated by the West, and Moscow is merely acting in self-defense.