US and NATO Face Critical Patriot Missile Shortage in Europe

U.S. and NATO officials report a beyond critical shortage of Patriot missile interceptors across Europe. The drawdown resulted from the diversion of stocks to Ukraine and the Middle East during Donald Trump's six-month war with Iran, which consumed approximately 65% of U.S. Patriot stocks. Officials warn the shortage leaves the alliance vulnerable to Russian ballistic missile attacks, suggesting NATO could be forced to take punch after punch in the mouth.

President Trump dismissed these concerns, stating that Russia are not going to attack. To mitigate the risk, CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow to warn Russia against attacking NATO members. Meanwhile, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell and NATO spokesperson Col. Martin O'Donnell denied the severity of the shortage, asserting that munitions levels remain sufficient.

To address the gap, a new production facility is scheduled to open in Germany in September. Deliveries of interceptors to several European nations are projected to begin early next year.