Washington Post: Top US Commander in Europe Warned Pentagon He Lacks Naval Forces to Keep Defending Israel
The Facts
- The Washington Post reported on Saturday that Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, head of U.S. European Command, privately warned the Pentagon he lacks sufficient naval forces to continue protecting Israel from incoming ballistic missiles.
- According to the report, Grynkewich sent written notification to senior Pentagon officials saying that without another Navy destroyer he would be forced to choose defense of the United States "homeland" over that of Israel.
- U.S. European Command coordinates operations in the Mediterranean, where its warships have helped intercept missiles and drones launched toward Israel from Iran and by Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen.
- Two of European Command's five destroyers based in Rota, Spain, were stationed in the Mediterranean as of Friday, according to the report.
- The officials describing the correspondence spoke on condition of anonymity because the communication was not public; the Pentagon declined to comment and U.S. European Command did not respond to the newspaper's requests.
- A U.S. defense official said Grynkewich's notification appeared consistent with past outreach from senior commanders who alert the Pentagon when resource shortages create operational risk as commands compete for assets.
- The warning came in the fifth month of the conflict with Iran, a period in which U.S. naval assets have also been committed to a blockade linked to the Strait of Hormuz.
- European Command's assets are simultaneously tasked with deterrence responsibilities toward Russia in NATO territory, in addition to Middle East missile-defense missions.
- As of publication, the Post's account is based on unnamed officials and has not been publicly confirmed by the Pentagon, European Command or Israel.
Context
Why do Navy destroyers matter to Israel's missile defense?
U.S. destroyers positioned in the eastern Mediterranean carry radar and air-defense systems that have been used to intercept ballistic missiles and drones fired toward Israel from Iran and from Yemen by Houthi forces vesti.ru,India Today,Times of Israel. Washington reinforced its naval presence in the region after the October 7 attack, and U.S. destroyers have taken part in intercepting projectiles aimed at Israel haaretz.com,News18.
How well established is this report?
All accounts trace to a single Washington Post story by Dan Lamothe published Saturday, which cites unnamed U.S. officials familiar with the correspondence Mediaite,Philadelphia Inquir…. The Pentagon declined to comment, European Command did not respond to inquiries, and Israeli officials also did not comment to the Post ynetnews,haaretz.com. A U.S. defense official did say the notification fits a routine practice of commanders flagging resource shortfalls Anadolu Ajansı,Philadelphia Inquir….
What is straining U.S. naval resources in the region?
Reports describe months of near-daily strikes and a naval blockade of Iranian ports mounted in response to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, both of which tie up destroyers Raw Story,Mediaite,Daily Beast. Analysts cited in the reporting say sustained wartime operations draw down readiness and munitions inventories: "Being on a wartime footing is going to take a toll in terms of readiness and munitions inventory levels," said Tom Karako of the Center for Strategic and International Studies Raw Story. One account also reported that the U.S. has used close to half of its THAAD interceptors Dawn.
Where Left and Right agree, and where they split
- Where Left and Right agree
- A theater commander saying he must choose between the homeland and Israel is treated by both as a real limit, not posturing — five months in, the arithmetic doesn't close.
- Where Left and Right split
- A war whose costs the public learns only through anonymous leaks, or which of these defense burdens America should be carrying alone.
How left and right read it
Two of European Command's five Rota-based destroyers were in the Mediterranean as of Friday, and the command's chief now says that without another destroyer he must choose between defending the homeland and defending Israel — while the same ships are tasked with deterring Russia and a Strait of Hormuz blockade. Five months in, that is not sustainability. The public learned this through anonymous officials, with the Pentagon declining comment; a war stretching forces this thin owes the country an accounting of its limits, out loud.
Grynkewich put it in writing to the Pentagon: without another destroyer, he must choose the homeland over Israel. The same command deters Russia on NATO territory while its warships knock down missiles launched from Iran and by the Houthis, and American naval assets hold a Strait of Hormuz blockade besides. Five months in, that is the arithmetic. Which of these burdens is actually ours to carry alone?
“Unless Washington provides another naval destroyer, he will be forced to choose defense of the United States over Israel, the report claimed, as the Iran war has put a strain on Washington's military arsenal.” — Washington Examiner
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