As the US shifts missiles towards Iran, officials raise concerns of gaps in European air defenses

LONDON (AP) — A sizable number of U.S. Patriot air defense missiles have been moved from Europe toward the Middle East as Washington diverts resources toward its war on Iran, leaving concerning gaps in Europe’s air defenses against Russia, U.S. defense officials told The Associated Press.

The war in Iran, about to enter its fourth week, has seen the U.S. deploy thousands of troops to the region and pushed the Pentagon to seek an additional $200 billion in funding. Iran meanwhile has fired missiles and drones across the Gulf, including at U.S. bases and hotels in vacation hot spots.

Two Patriot missile systems were sent from Germany to Turkey after several ballistic missiles were fired toward Turkey from Iran since the start of the war, the Turkish defense ministry and three U.S. officials said. The U.S. officials said missiles for the Patriot system were moved from various locations around Europe in an effort to reinforce air defenses towards the Middle East. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.

One of the officials said stocks of Patriot missiles are “absolutely” dwindling in Europe and elsewhere because of the war in Iran, and added the situation is “pretty concerning.”

Asked to comment on the missiles being moved, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to AP: “The US military has more than enough munitions, ammo, and weapons stockpiles to achieve the goals of Operation Epic Fury laid out by President Trump — and beyond.”

One of the three U.S. officials said there is still “plenty” of capacity in NATO to defend Europe, adding that part of the reason the US has assets in different places is to project power globally.

Patriots used against low-tech Shahed drones

The Patriot is a surface-to-air guided missile system that was first deployed in the 1980s and can target aircraft, cruise missiles and shorter-range ballistic missiles.

The war in Ukraine has shown how effective the Patriot system is against a wide range of threats including maneuverable hypersonic missiles such as Russia’s Kinzhal, one of the U.S. officials said.

But in the Middle East, the U.S. and its allies are using Patriots “against threats that don’t require them,” one of the officials said, such as against comparatively cheap and low-tech Iranian Shahed drones.

Patriots, the official said, should be used to protect high-end ground systems — such as precision strike missiles the U.S. is firing from HIMARS launchers in the Middle East — from enemy attack.

The Patriots are being redeployed as Russia is continuing to pursue its war in Ukraine, with some of the European countries near Russia facing the effects, including incursions of Russian drones from the Baltic states to Poland and Romania. Officials in Europe say Russia is waging a hybrid war on Europe including with sabotage and cyberattacks.

Everything that moves out of Europe is a capability that “can’t respond to Russia,” if Moscow decides to take advantage of an opportunity, the U.S. defense official said.

Building up defenses on NATO’s southern flank

NATO defenses have intercepted three ballistic missiles fired from Iran over Turkey’s airspace since President Donald Trump launched his war with Iran on Feb. 28, Turkey’s defense ministry said. The Turkish defense ministry said a Patriot missile system was sent from Ramstein air base in Germany to Incirlik Air Base where U.S. and NATO forces are based.

Last week Turkey said NATO had positioned another Patriot system in the southeastern Malatya province, where a NATO radar station is based. General Alexus Grynkewich, commander of U.S. — and NATO — forces in Europe, also said Wednesday that some air defense capabilities in Europe were moved toward the Middle East.

Captain Reann Mommsen, spokesperson for U.S. European Command, which is responsible for American military operations in Europe, did not comment on the concerns of shortages and said she could not discuss movement or locations of missiles due to reasons of operational security.

Ukraine has repeatedly asked for more Patriot missiles and systems, and this week President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Kyiv will “definitely” face shortages of Patriots because of the U.S. war against Iran.

A German military official said he has not yet seen information to suggest there are operational shortfalls in Ukraine caused by the war in the Middle East. But he said shortfalls may occur in the near future, eventually weakening Ukraine’s endurance and capabilities. He also spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.

In an interview with the BBC, Zelenskyy said the U.S. produces 60-65 Patriot missiles per month, around 700-800 a year and that 803 were used on the first day of the war in the Middle East.

According to the Foreign Policy Research Institute, a security think tank based in Pennsylvania, the U.S. used around 325 Patriot missiles during the first 96 hours of the war with Iran. It said the total number used by Washington and its partners including Gulf states was approximately 943.

Drone-against-drone system now being deployed

Shortly after war broke out in the Middle East, the AP was told the U.S. had limited effective anti-drone defenses in the Middle East but was planning to deploy the Merops anti-drone system.

The Merops system can fit in the back of a pickup truck and takes down drones much more cheaply than by using a missile as it flies drones against drones.

Officials said the U.S. response to countering Iran’s Shahed drones was “disappointing,” particularly because the Shaheds are a much more basic version of the same drone that Russia is continuously refining and updating in its war in Ukraine.

The U.S. now has a “limited” amount of operational Merops anti-drone systems in the Middle East, one of the U.S. defense officials said. Further systems are on their way and training in the Middle East is being carried out, they added.

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Michelle L. Price and Konstantin Toropin in Washington D.C. and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey contributed to this report.

Emma Burrows, The Associated Press