Pentagon Raiding Arms Stockpiles in Israel and South Korea to Supply Ukraine

Brietbart

Deputy Defense Press Secretary Sabrina Singh revealed to reporters on Thursday the Pentagon was taking weapons from its stockpiles in Israel and South Korea to meet weapons demand in Ukraine’s war with Russia.

“We are supplying Ukraine pretty regularly with different ammunitions, materials, capabilities and equipment, and part of that is making sure that we can do so quickly. And we have been working with [Republic of Korea] and Israel when it comes to withdrawing from our stocks and communicating that with them,” Deputy Defense Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said.

On whether it meant the U.S. was running low on weapons stockpiles at home, she responded, “I wouldn’t say that. I mean, the Secretary has always said we’re not going to drop below our readiness levels. … We have to go to other sources, other places to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs and to also be able to backfill our own stocks and work on backfilling partners and allies.”

The New York Times reported two days before her remarks that the Pentagon was tapping into its stockpiles in Israel “to help meet Ukraine’s dire need for artillery shells in the war with Ukraine.” The stockpile is for Pentagon to use in Middle East conflicts, and also for Israel to access in emergencies, the paper reported.

The Times outlined:

With stockpiles in the United States strained and American arms makers not yet able to keep up with the pace of Ukraine’s battlefield operations, the Pentagon has turned to two alternative supplies of shells to bridge the gap: one in South Korea and the one in Israel, whose use in the Ukraine war has not been previously reported.