AP exclusive: U.S. Patriot missile stocks in Europe 'beyond critical' due to Iran war, officials say

Key Points:

• The U.S. military faces a severe shortage of advanced missile interceptors, especially Patriot missiles, in Europe due to the redeployment of stocks to the Middle East amid President Trump's conflict with Iran, raising concerns about NATO's vulnerability to potential Russian missile attacks.
• U.S. and NATO officials acknowledge low inventories of Patriot interceptors in Europe, limiting the ability to defend against sustained or even single ballistic missile strikes from Russia, while U.S. officials deny claims of critical shortages.
• The conflict with Iran has rapidly depleted U.S. missile stocks more than anticipated, with approximately 65% of U.S. Patriot interceptors expended, and production ramp-up not expected to meet demand until 2030; meanwhile, Ukraine urgently requests more Patriots to counter advanced Russian missile attacks.
• Alternatives to Patriot systems in Europe are limited, with some reliance on French and Italian SAMP/T NG systems, which have not been battle-tested and have shorter ranges, and naval defenses that may be too distant or vulnerable to protect key targets.
• Despite these shortages, Russia’s ability to launch a large-scale missile attack on NATO is constrained by its ongoing war in Ukraine and exposed weaknesses in its own air defenses, which may deter immediate aggression against NATO countries.